mDisney announced it will offer Pirates of the Caribbean Multiplayer, a cross-carrier, real-time multiplayer game for mobile phones. The game, one of the first action adventure mobile multiplayer games, is based on the popular movie franchise, and is slated to launch this summer, in conjunction with the theatrical release of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest worldwide on July 7, 2006.

The game will be open for beta testing in mid-April at www.piratesmobilemultiplayer.com. It will permit up to 16 players to engage in individual game sessions. Players will be able to chat with other players, make friends and form guilds of hundreds of players on the game's server, which can accommodate tens of thousands of simultaneous players.

This mobile offering is a natural progression for WDIG, whose Web-based MMP game portfolio includes Disney Online's critically acclaimed Toontown Online, the first 3D MMORPG for kids and families, as well as Disney Online's upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean Online MMORPG, slated for release in 2007.

"The Pirates of the Caribbean mobile multiplayer game combines the best of our experience in the MMP and mobile genres, to extend the excitement, action and adventure of this popular franchise to the third screen," said Larry Shapiro, executive vice president, business development and operations, Walt Disney Internet Group. "Not only is it one of first games to bring an action adventure and real-time multiplayer experience to mobile handsets, it also allows players to interact across multiple carriers. This is an exciting new universe that we believe will provide mobile gamers with month after month of entertaining, high-quality game play anytime, anywhere."