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The Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) has inked a distribution agreement with Scandinavian Games to make some of its most popular downloadable games available to consumers in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

The agreement comes in support of the company's objective to raise its profile in the downloadable games category and expand delivery of its digital content across multiple platforms.

Scandinavian Games is a specialist in the sales and distribution of online entertainment.

Disney fans in the Nordic region can now access games featuring Disney characters, including The Lion King Grubalicious, the Little Mermaid Bubble Blast, Pirates of the Caribbean Pinball and Aladdin Magic Carpet Racing, by going to Scandinavian Games' network of major portals and online retailers such as MSN and TV2 Games in Denmark as well as several other major portals in Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

"The Walt Disney Internet Group intends to make Disney games content readily available to a broadening audience of consumers around Europe by expanding our distribution channels with leading aggregators. Scandinavian Games has the expertise, robust infrastructure and reach in the Nordic market required for effective digital distribution, and we are pleased to add them to our network of partners," said Walt Disney Internet Group, Europe managing director Attila Gazdag.

According to media research consultancy Screen Digest, the European casual gaming market is expected to reach close to $400 million by 2009. Much of this growth is coming from the non-traditional gaming audience - up to 65 per cent of casual game players are female and 48 per cent are aged 35-54 – who are particularly attracted by the Disney-branded games experience.

"The casual games services on offer today are becoming increasingly sophisticated. The intuitive interface and design simplicity of the Disney games are very appealing to our users and we are delighted to be able to offer this content through our member portals," added Scandinavian Games CEO Bjorn Thorsteinsson.