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A new report claims that the current CEO, Bob Iger, was getting a bit of pressure from his deputies to take the company in a new direction, going from licensing titles to creating them to become a new giant player in the gaming industry.

As reported by Bloomberg, Disney’s CEO deputies tried to convince Bob Iger to expand its gaming division to what appears to be self-developing, though not without the means of acquiring publishers and studios. The report notes that while Iger was noncommital (as he was to everything else in the company), Bloomberg suggests that an attempt to acquire EA would have been part of that push if it all went through.

“Iger’s deputies are pushing him to consider a bolder transformation of Disney from gaming licensee to gaming giant through, say, an acquisition of Electronic Arts. But, as with everything else, he’s been noncommittal.”

To be clear, these aren’t current plans, but what some at Disney seem to have expressed interest in. Whether or not that is something that eventually changes down the road remains to be seen.

Currently, Disney has licensed out several of its properties to gaming companies. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Wolverine are examples of two upcoming games from PlayStation that have been licensed from Disney. However, sticking with EA, the relationship between them and Disney does fit into why execs may have wanted to push for an acquisition. EA has already published several Star Wars games, with a third Jedi game planned. They’re also in the process of making an Iron Man and Black Panther game, so to say the least, their relationship with Disney does seem to be a very close one.

Report: Disney's CEO Deputies Wanted Company to Turn Into a Gaming Giant, Through Possibly Aquiring EA

A report suggests that Disney's own CEO, Bob Iger, was being pressured to expand their gaming presence, through means of aquisitions.

mp1st.com

 

[Deerock71]

Thank goodness their recent woke movies have tanked.

 

[MAtgS]

Because it worked so every other time they tried to be a gaming giant.

 

[Draugoth]

Disney has been struggling financially over the past three years, their movies, shows and toy division has been underpeforming and i doubt they would want to spend dozens of billions on EA anytime soon.

 

[iamvin22]

Probably would have worked with certain properties but they went so woke there's no chance of it happening now, oh and brie Larsen

 

[Astral Dog]

Shit combination

 

[Badlucktroll]

Should have kept and grown LucasArts. I bet they would for sure buy out Nintendo if given the chance.

 

[Kuranghi]

*wishes for pigtail'ed, beskirted, thigh high socks wearing cutie to ring my doorbell*


*couple of hours pass*


*peeks through curtains to see if shes at the front door*

I can't believe wishing for something and making no effort to make it happen doesn't get you results *folds arms grumpily*

 

[Saber]

Lol good luck. Pretty sure your "wonderfull" ideas you have been using on movies will do well with games.

 

[Labolas]

Oh great now they want to bring their pozzed shit into gaming now.

 

[MadPanda]

They should buy Warner Bros gaming studios

 

[MiguelItUp]

Disney continues to remake classic animated films as live action ones that all bomb. But they keep on making them. I think they'd be better off just making new animated films and leave that stuff alone. They haven't been making a ton of great calls, acquiring EA would've have helped, lol.

 

[CamHostage]

Not sure why they need to buy a publisher. Disney is leaving all kinds of profit on the table for simple sub-licensing (and their experience with EA resulting in so few Star Wars games over that 10-year-exclusivity window, and so many projects canceled, shows that EA was in no shape to do any better owned than independent.) Granted, Disney (and its subsidiaries such as LucasArts and Marvel) have gone in the wrong direction in the past by over-licensing titles, but for brands as massive as Disney has, there are relatively few gaming products made of them.

Disney might have been able to synergize the EA Sports and ESPN brands a bit if they were under the same roof, but I don't think that would have sparked new sales either.

Should have kept and grown LucasArts. I bet they woule for sure buy out Nintendo if given the chance.

Maybe, but LucasArts was always hit-and-miss, and relied on outside developers to make a lot of the concepts sing. They had some magic inside there, deep down, and they had a lot of ILM insight to pull from, but they also failed a lot and were so defined by their big-budget, high-concept works that their stuff in the middle (which they likely needed to even out the profits) suffered. (LucasArts also had trouble escaping the Star Wars/Indiana Jones branding, though they did have a few hits like Maniac Mansion and such.) They just had George Lucas' backing as a mad patron of their particular art, and it worked out for a while but it was visibly precarious. I don't think LucasArts could have expanded as a major gaming publisher if they had stayed on after the Disney merger.

(*I also have a guess that Star Wars 1313 might would have sucked. Great tech, but they kept monkeying with the concept and pushing the storytelling above the gameplay, it never really seemed close to developing an identity of its own besides "Uncharted in Space".)

 

[Ammogeddon]

JFC could you imagine, what a match made in hell.

 

[Skyfox]

 

[Deerock71]

Probably would have worked with certain properties but they went so woke there's no chance of it happening now, oh and brie Larsen

I mean...you know...WOULD.

 

[Davevil]

Thank goodness their recent woke movies have tanked.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

Disney has wandered the video game desert for years. And they’re being left behind by the likes of Nintendo by failing to meaningfully embrace the medium.

They’re better off being acquired by Apple.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

Aside Disney having their own issues right now, it would make sense to be honest - EA CEO indicated that he wanted a merger and Disney + EA combo could create quite an interesting combination, considering howe many disney IPs are being developed by EA + sports streaming stuff and stuff like that.

Thank goodness their recent woke movies have tanked.

Well Disney does not do that great. They relied too much on Marvel IP, but post Avengers Endgame I don't see it achieving the same level of success any time soon. It was a real cultural event. Add their strange remakes (reimagination) of classics that nobody wanted and they are in the world of pain. Granted parks seem to be doing fine.

 

[3liteDragon]

“THis wOuLd be AWFul FOr THE gaMErs”

 

[Zheph]

“THis wOuLd be AWFul FOr THE gaMErs”

No self reflection there from this clown

 

[Spukc]

sure why not who gives a fuck
capcom it is

 

[Loomy]

“THis wOuLd be AWFul FOr THE gaMErs”

How fucking dense could this guy be? lol

If Microsoft announces plans to acquire EA tomorrow, he'll write a fucking soliloquy about how it's great for gaming and spend the next 2 years feigning outrage everytime a roadblock is put up.

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

I know it has been mentioned. But if Disney elects to sell off ABC and ESPN, it is a sign to me they are considering selling Disney itself to Apple. Even though it is not in Apple’s ethos, Iger has pushed for this multiple times after Job’s passing.

Side Note, i feel like EA is desperate for a buyer. Something has gone amiss at EA. There is serious development problems it would appear. I’m not sure if it is related to WFH, or lack of staffing. EA’s fall from their peak during the PS2/xbox 360 era is personally my biggest gaming company disappointment.

 

[Dane]

If Disney did that, Sony and Microsoft would probably have cancelled Spiderman and Indiana Jones after the mess that Disney did with pulling out from license renewal for almost all games from other publishers.

 

[Loomy]

Iger seems to have a good grasp of how not to fuck up, so hopefully he sees how much of a shitshow this could potentially be. They're almost done running their IPs into the ground on TV and Film, so now they want to do the same in gaming. These people are short term thinkers.

 

[newtypepilot]

hahaha no,

Disney is in huge trouble right now. Their stock prices are tanking. Their movies/tv shows have been bombs and losing money. Their parks are losing attendance. They have alienated their core demographic to pursue woke identity politics. They are in no position to acquire anything. In fact, they are actually desperate for cash as they are contractually obligated to buyout comcast's remaining stake of hulu as part of the Fox deal.

 

[Pelta88]

Thank goodness their recent woke movies have tanked.

I must be missing something or you're looking really hard for the woke.

 

[Fabieter]

I think ea would have been a more lucrative get than fox. Iam sure disney regrets getting fox too.

 

[T4keD0wN]

I must be missing something or you're looking really hard for the woke.

I think he means how all the actors are awake and not asleep when filming.

 

[Loomy]

I think ea would have been a more lucrative get than fox. Iam sure disney regrets getting fox too.

The Fox purchase was motivated by the need to secure content for Disney+. Now we know how much trouble that and every other streaming service is in and yeah, probably regretting that now.

 

[Ordnasella_Edadnirt]

As a leading entertainement company Disney finally realized how big gaming is. But is an acquisition the right path ? In my humble opinion ? No, Disney+ and their other core business are in bad shape atm buying more stuff when you need to settle your own business doesn't sound smart.. Or maybe they are going all-in ? EA matches with their ideals and they are currently working in many Disney ip's : Star Wars, Iron Man, Black Panther etc. So It makes sense. and if It fails what they have to lose ? they will have many contenders to a full buyout. If i were them i would stick lincensing the ips like Sony does in the streaming wars...

 

[March Climber]

People in this thread: I'm glad, EA doesn't need Disney to taint their image with family friendliness.

Me: I'm glad, EA doesn't need an easy bailout for their BS. Let them slowly bleed out money until they have nothing left but recycled sports games.

 

[Fake]

Can always get worse.

 

[Loomy]

As a leading entertainement company Disney finally realized how big gaming is. But is an acquisition the right path ? In my humble opinion ? No, Disney+ and their other core business are in bad shape atm buying more stuff when you need to settle your own business doesn't sound smart.. Or maybe they are going all-in ? EA matches with their ideals and they are currently working in many Disney ip's : Star Wars, Iron Man, Black Panther etc. So It makes sense. and if It fails what they have to lose ? they will have many contenders to a full buyout. If i were them i would stick lincensing the ips like Sony does in the streaming wars...

I think they've always known how big gaming is. The problem is they're running out of places to exploit their IP. Another Star Wars show on Disney+ in a sea of mediocre Star Wars shows? Or another Star Wars game where - really - only one good series is currently being produced?

Iger's job is securing Disney's long term growth and profitability. The people recommending this asinine idea are only thinking about how to make things look good in the short term.

 

[Dane]

As a leading entertainement company Disney finally realized how big gaming is. But is an acquisition the right path ? In my humble opinion ? No, Disney+ and their other core business are in bad shape atm buying more stuff when you need to settle your own business doesn't sound smart.. Or maybe they are going all-in ? EA matches with their ideals and they are currently working in many Disney ip's : Star Wars, Iron Man, Black Panther etc. So It makes sense. and if It fails what they have to lose ? they will have many contenders to a full buyout. If i were them i would stick lincensing the ips like Sony does in the streaming wars...

Unironically it can give them profit right on, the only reason why movie and tv subscriptions are money pits its because they have zero spending alternatives inside on them like permanent ownership digital license and etc, which is why its not regarded as an issue to console makers.

 

[RoboFu]

Thank goodness their recent woke movies have tanked.

yeah I agree it was good for them... but I liked Elemental and Haunted Mansion.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Thank goodness their recent woke movies have tanked.

Yeah but I bet Snow non-White and the 7 Multicultural Normal-Sized People will really turn things around for them.

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

Imagine a Bioware even more woke and incompetent than they currently are...

 

[March Climber]

Imagine a Bioware even more woke and incompetent than they currently are...

Bioware:

(They haven't released or shown anything in years)

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Disney can't afford to acquire anything right now. Their films have bombed and Disney Plus is bleeding subscribers...yeah no way.

It's far more likely that Disney gets acquired by Apple.

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

It's not that easy. Disney had a crack at gaming a few times already. They're about as good making games as they are at making television subscription services.

Also, devaluing what used to be money printer brands like marvel and star wars took years of disney magic, but EA?

 

[Sanepar]

“THis wOuLd be AWFul FOr THE gaMErs”

I know why he thinks is bad for gamers. If MS consolidate whole industry then will be great for for gamers.

 

[8BiTw0LF]

 

[existensmaximum]

Tj

Thank goodness their recent woke movies have tanked.

They have? I thought they were huge successes. I remember reading about The Little Mermaid making tons of money etc.

 

[PaintTinJr]

I must be missing something or you're looking really hard for the woke.

Watch this Disney SW intro and tell me you don't see the subliminal messaging in the colours?

 

[old-parts]

I certainly hope it never happens, if Disney got its hands on EA IP then it will never leave their hands. EA would still likely sell some of its IP to others for the right price but Disney no way cant see it happening.

The upside is that Disney tried to be a games dev and publisher in the past during and it failed, so that will hopefully make them think twice.

Someone inside Disney/Lucasfilm gives a dam about games, a recent Secret of Monkey island would never have happened otherwise but as company it's just a bad idea for them to be involved directly.

 

[TheInfamousKira]

I pray this never happens or Disney will end up buying Square because of Kingdom Hearts and we'll see the third part of FFVIIR subverting expectations by killing off everyone except Barret and Andrea Rhodea.

 

[TrebleShot]

Marketing dept at FIFA/EAFC is crying thinking about recutting promos and marketing “a new era” for Disney FC

 

[Quasicat]

*wishes for pigtail'ed, beskirted, thigh high socks wearing cutie to ring my doorbell*


*couple of hours pass*


*peeks through curtains to see if shes at the front door*

I can't believe wishing for something and making no effort to make it happen doesn't get you results *folds arms grumpily*

I was really hoping this worked out for you so I could try it. Oh well.