Question : Why Rocketpack Entered Disney’s Orbit

If you believe Disney’s every digital-minded move is dictated by board member Steve Jobs, note that its latest acquisition, Rocketpack, is intended to be of use outside the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) App store. The purchase was first reported by Techcrunch.

What attracted Disney (NYSE: DIS) Interactive Media Group to this Finnish social gaming developer is an engine—named Rocketfuel, natch—that enables game play on any digital platform without bothering with the restriction of Apple or Adobe (NSDQ: ADBE) Flash. Their games can work as easily on Facebook, which has been a boon to the likes of gaming sensations like Zynga, or any old website.

There’s a reason that appeals to DIMG, where co-presidents John Pleasants and James Pitaro couldn’t be more bullish on the future of social gaming (and not the console side of the business). While Pleasants oversees the gaming aspect of the business, it’s Pitaro who could be the beneficiary of Rocketpack. He oversees Disney.com, where casual games are a big part of the strategy to building up traffic across that flagship and other Disney-owned sites, as well as the company’s emphasis on a big presence on social networks, whether Facebook or another new Disney acquisition, a social network for kiddies called Togetherville.

DIMG has also put a lot of focus on taking the many franchises and characters at its disposal and making them available across platforms, whether mobile, tablet, laptop or TV. The best way to make that vision happens is to remove any hurdles to the instant-gratification experience that is social gaming, and Rocketpack makes that happen.

Disney isn’t the only one conglomerate that has focused on easy access to browser-based social experiences. Paramount recently made a deal with Funtactix to create MMOs around intellectual property like new movie Rango that don’t require plug-ins or downloads.