Disney has long had a toe in the world of gaming, first through numerous adaptations of their classic cartoon franchises, and later through a wide slate of Marvel and Star Wars titles, but they’ve never really gone all in on in-house game development and publishing. Instead, they’ve mainly focused on licensing their lucrative properties to outside developers, with mixed success. For every Star Wars Jedi: Survivor or Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga there’s a Marvel’s Avengers.
Well, it seems some within Disney may be contemplating a new approach, one that may make them a “gaming giant.” According to a new Bloomberg report on Disney’s current struggles and returning CEO Bob Iger’s efforts to get the company back on a solid path, some of his deputies have floated the idea of establishing themselves in gaming with a big purchase…
“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.”
Disney buying up EA would make a certain amount of sense, as they’ve already worked on a number of Star Wars titles and have multiple Disney-licensed titles in the works (Black Panther, Iron Man, a Star Wars shooter from Respawn Entertainment). Of course, the company also owns ESPN, so there would be plenty of opportunities for synergy with EA’s sports titles. That said, would Disney buying EA be the best thing for both companies? Would Disney know how to manage a mega video game publisher? That’s a big question.
Interestingly, last year we heard rumors that EA is actively looking to be bought by somebody, and sees a merger with Disney as the most enticing. Of course, take that with a grain of salt, but if true, EA might be all too happy to make a deal if Disney comes knocking. Whether Bob Iger gets over his commitment issues remains to be seen.
What do you think? Could something positive come out of Disney buying EA? Or would it be a net negative for players and the industry? What’s the likelihood of it happening?
