Disney's Iger talks Marvel theme park

[Tommy2Toes]

http://thedisneyblog.com/2012/12/19/disney-ceo-bob-iger-talks-marvel-theme-park/

[Victoria Victrix]

This actually bodes well.

[HEATSTROKE]

This actually bodes well.

how. give us your thoughts

[Kistulot]

how. give us your thoughts

Disney is showing cape love, and expanding their cape enterprizes.

CAPERPRIZE

[Arctic Force.]

I assume Disney is not able to leverage Marvel East of the Mississippi specifically Florida, because of the parks that are already using the Marvel IP. There are attractions at Universal Studios Florida - Islands of Adventures. But if they were to say pick up the City of Heroes IP they would not be prohibited from using it in Florida.

[Joshex]

This bodes terribly.

you don't understand the complexity of this venture on thier behalf.

this is thier response to our plight, and it's little more than them rubbing us off thier shoulders without even giving us a reply. (typical response for a corporation about this sort of fan request)

heres what happened: we sent Disney mail about picking up city of heroes, they read the mail; then held a board meeting where the topic was brought up. it probably went something like this:

ok and one other order of business before we adjurn: there is a request for us to pick up the intellectual property rights to City of Heroes.

whats the catch?

the request is made by the fans and doing so would cost us more than 80 million dollars.

oh.. what are the other options for super hero rights?

Hey I got an idea lets make a merger with marvel comics and tag onto thier soon to be released MMO, we'll offer them theme park space. it's win win and probably wont cost anywhere near 80 million.

all in favor of pursuing marvel?

nearly all agree.

[Arctic Force.]

.  Hey I got an idea lets make a merger with marvel comics and tag onto thier soon to be released MMO, we'll offer them theme park space. it's win win and probably wont cost anywhere near 80 million.

.

It would cost in excess of 100 million to build an amusement park addition. Architectural and engineering services alone would be in the range of 10 million. One large steel rollercoaster can cost between 8 and 25 million. Shall we talk materials and construction services just for the shell buildings. Plus just because "Imagineering" will do the design does not mean it will not cost Disney money, they are some of the best paid Architects and Engineers in the business.

[Lily Barclay]

This bodes terribly.

you don't understand the complexity of this venture on thier behalf.

this is thier response to our plight, and it's little more than them rubbing us off thier shoulders without even giving us a reply. (typical response for a corporation about this sort of fan request)

heres what happened: we sent Disney mail about picking up city of heroes, they read the mail; then held a board meeting where the topic was brought up. it probably went something like this:

Erm... Disney had Marvel before all of the CoH stuff hit. It has nothing to do with us. No conspiracy there.

[Victoria Victrix]

how. give us your thoughts

It means that if they want something to put in their Florida parks that is superhero themed, it has to be something other than Marvel.

It also means they are LOOKING at superhero themed things, showing an increase in general interest.

This bodes terribly.

you don't understand the complexity of this venture on thier behalf.

this is thier response to our plight, and it's little more than them rubbing us off thier shoulders without even giving us a reply. (typical response for a corporation about this sort of fan request)

heres what happened: we sent Disney mail about picking up city of heroes, they read the mail; then held a board meeting where the topic was brought up. it probably went something like this:

Uh, I hate to burst your bubble, dear, but at the moment we are perhaps being barely noticed by Disney.  They certainly would not hold a board meeting about us.

Also, your figure of 80 million dollars is WILDLY high.  The IPs of ALL of the closed games that NCSoft holds, tallied together, are valued in their stockholder report at $3 million.  Granted, that was before CoH closed and joined them, but I highly doubt that CoH would be valued at 25 times more than all of the other closed games combined.

Now, this happens to be the forum that is being run by Team Wildcard.  We are focused on trying to get someone to buy the IP.  I therefore request you to refrain from defeatist comments here.  I'm not saying we need to be all rah-rah here, but we don't need defeatism, we need activism.  Come up with something constructive, please, instead of defeatist.  Being doom and gloom on this board is like trying to teach a pig to sing.  It wastes your time and pisses the pig off, and sometimes, the pig will bite you for it.

Thanks for understanding.

[Joshex]

Erm... Disney had Marvel before all of the CoH stuff hit. It has nothing to do with us. No conspiracy there.

very well I guess I hadn't paid any attention to that news and came to an assumptions based on the text here.

still even that doesn't bode well. you must realize you can only be DC or Marvel you can't be both or you'll be in a court session of rights abuse, DC and Marvel are not keen on merging with any competition even eachother, that includes CoH, if so disney may already have a bias against City of heroes with the information you just supplied. or Marvel might be threatening disney not to adopt us.

enough being defeatist, moving towards nuetral ground: I heard it as a rumor that NCSoft agreed to sell the rights to CoH for 80 million regardless what it's really worth. sort of like a price to insure that no one would buy it so that they never have to worry about anyone making the game profitable again for the sake of thier pride.

moving from nuetral to positive: I'm going to attempt to win the lottery and if I am mistaken on the price of the game and it is only 1-3 million I'm sure I will buy it (only if I can win that much)

on a more realistic positive note, maybe, just maybe if we are very polite we can talk not only to disney but to marvel, if we could get marvel and disney to cooperatively pick-up CoH causing a merge of CoH and marvel I.. I can only see good things. and to tell the truth I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

[Terwyn]

I can see only bad, really. The dilution of our world most prominent among them.

[Victoria Victrix]

very well I guess I hadn't paid any attention to that news and came to an assumptions based on the text here.

still even that doesn't bode well. you must realize you can only be DC or Marvel you can't be both or you'll be in a court session of rights abuse, DC and Marvel are not keen on merging with any competition even eachother, that includes CoH, if so disney may already have a bias against City of heroes with the information you just supplied. or Marvel might be threatening disney not to adopt us.

I personally doubt that, since the only games that Marvel has out are absolutely nothing like COH.  You can't even play your own player-made character, only color variations on Marvel characters.  CoH is nothing like a threat to those games.

Mind you, Marvel won't be threatening Disney anyway.  Disney owns them.  They will do what Disney tells them to.

enough being defeatist, moving towards nuetral ground: I heard it as a rumor that NCSoft agreed to sell the rights to CoH for 80 million regardless what it's really worth. sort of like a price to insure that no one would buy it so that they never have to worry about anyone making the game profitable again for the sake of thier pride.

That is a rumor that I personally debunked 2 months ago via a conversation with Brian.

moving from nuetral to positive: I'm going to attempt to win the lottery and if I am mistaken on the price of the game and it is only 1-3 million I'm sure I will buy it (only if I can win that much)

on a more realistic positive note, maybe, just maybe if we are very polite we can talk not only to disney but to marvel, if we could get marvel and disney to cooperatively pick-up CoH causing a merge of CoH and marvel I.. I can only see good things. and to tell the truth I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

We don't need to talk to Marvel.  As I pointed out, Disney owns Marvel, not the other way around.  We only need to talk to Disney, which is exactly what we are doing.  Check the stickied thread at the top of the board; "Team Wildcard Needs You! TF Hail Mary LFM."  This is our current call to action.  It is by NO means going to be our last.

[Victoria Victrix]

I can see only bad, really. The dilution of our world most prominent among them.

Not sure what you mean by that, Terwyn.  Remember, unlike the Marvel franchise, CoH is completely unknown by 99% of the general population.  There really isn't anything there to dilute, so far as the rest of the world is concerned.

However, this would present an excellent opportunity to build a brand.

[Terwyn]

Not sure what you mean by that, Terwyn.  Remember, unlike the Marvel franchise, CoH is completely unknown by 99% of the general population.  There really isn't anything there to dilute, so far as the rest of the world is concerned.

However, this would present an excellent opportunity to build a brand.

While it is true that legal cross overs would be an excellent method of building a brand, I worry that what makes CoX unique may well end up threatened if it isn't handled the right way.

[Victoria Victrix]

While it is true that legal cross overs would be an excellent method of building a brand, I worry that what makes CoX unique may well end up threatened if it isn't handled the right way.

What's unique about CoX has always been the community.  I share your concern, but again, Disney has a pretty good track record of taking things that are successful and leaving them alone.

[Kistulot]

What's unique about CoX has always been the community.  I share your concern, but again, Disney has a pretty good track record of taking things that are successful and leaving them alone.

This makes me wonder what they'll do with Star Wars, being that it became terrible and now is theirs. Off topic, but still a curiosity.

That said, they HAVE shown a track record for this. They dont just change things to change them.

[Kaiser Tarantula]

still even that doesn't bode well. you must realize you can only be DC or Marvel you can't be both or you'll be in a court session of rights abuse, DC and Marvel are not keen on merging with any competition even eachother, that includes CoH, if so disney may already have a bias against City of heroes with the information you just supplied. or Marvel might be threatening disney not to adopt us.

In case you didn't realize, Disney owns Marvel.  There's no way Marvel can 'threaten' Disney.  It's an LLC subsidiary.  That would be like your left big toe threatening the rest of your body.  Patently ridiculous and thoroughly impossible.  I don't understand where you're bringing DC into this.  CoH is not and has never been part of DC's franchises.  There is no conflict of interest involved with Disney acquiring the CoH IP - the only obstacle is NCsoft's willingness to sell and Disney's willingness to buy.

enough being defeatist, moving towards nuetral ground: I heard it as a rumor that NCSoft agreed to sell the rights to CoH for 80 million regardless what it's really worth. sort of like a price to insure that no one would buy it so that they never have to worry about anyone making the game profitable again for the sake of thier pride.

The 80 million pricetag is kinda shaky - nobody can get firm word on whether that was or wasn't the number quoted.  It's also patently ridiculous, set so arbitrarily above the IP's actual worth that it can only be construed as a roundabout way of saying "no we aren't selling."  Since then, NCsoft's undergone a dip in price on the stock market, entered into a stockholding relationship with Nexon, and now has basically reorganized their entire holdings east of the Pacific.  Considering all of this upheaval they've undergone, now's the perfect time to approach them with an easy way to earn a quick buck, get a nasty PR monkey off their back, and earn some western-market goodwill at the same time.  That's what selling CoH would be for them.

moving from nuetral to positive: I'm going to attempt to win the lottery and if I am mistaken on the price of the game and it is only 1-3 million I'm sure I will buy it (only if I can win that much)

on a more realistic positive note, maybe, just maybe if we are very polite we can talk not only to disney but to marvel, if we could get marvel and disney to cooperatively pick-up CoH causing a merge of CoH and marvel I.. I can only see good things. and to tell the truth I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

Once again I gotta reiterate: Disney owns Marvel.  By talking to Disney, we are talking to Marvel.  Or rather, talking to Marvel's superiors, the people who can tell them "hey, we're acquiring a new IP and universe and we're putting it under your management" if they so choose.

As I've said, the only obstacles to Disney's purchase are NCsoft and Disney themselves.

Though hey if you win the lotto and get enough after taxes to throw down $80 mil in cash, and have the willingness to do so, then more power to you.  You'd certainly be doing this community a favor.

EDIT: I realize VV's beaten me by a country mile here, but there's a few points I wanted to state anyway.

[Joshex]

I was merely referencing that Marvel views any other superhero universe as a competitor.

that being said, yeah disney owns marvel, which is why if they don't see the option of merging Marvel and CoH, then they can and will only view CoH as 2 things 1: a threat to thier currently owned superhero franchise, 2: a laughable suggestion due to the first option.

I think some effort needs to be made to convice disney and marvel that merging with CoH is a very good idea.

Also winning the lottery has appeared to fail for me, unless the numbers magically change.. didn't even match a single number in the powerball..

[Kaiser Tarantula]

Which is why if they don't see the option of merging Marvel and CoH, then they can and will only view CoH as 2 things 1: a threat to thier currently owned superhero franchise, 2: a laughable suggestion due to the first option.

And you seem to not realize that Disney already owns and works with other superhero franchises

For instance, The Incredibles?  That ain't Marvel, but it's put out by Disney/Pixar.  Sky High?  Also not Marvel, put out by Disney, Gunn Films, and Max Stronghold Productions Inc.  Judge Dredd is owned by IPC Media, and the movie was put out in the United States by Hollywood Pictures, a Disney subsidiary.  Unbreakable is an original by M. Night Shyalaman, and is distributed by Touchstone Pictures, a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios.

None of these are seen as a threat to Marvel, are they?  No.  Marvel hasn't tried to arrange for their distribution to end, has it?  No - it can't.  You seem to be of this idea that Marvel has some sort of control over Disney, or some leverage to affect decisions.  It doesn't.  Disney could literally shut Marvel down on a whim and there's nothing Marvel could do about it (it'd be a stupid idea, but it's one Disney could make).  Marvel cannot 'take its ball and go home' or sever ties with Disney - it is owned by Disney and only exists as an independent entity because Disney allows it to.  If Marvel even tried something like that, they'd be promptly reorganized into a smaller LLC that's more closely tied and reliant to the parent company, much as NCsoft is doing with ex-NCWest right now.

Finally, there is no threat posed by CoH to Marvel or its franchises - at least, not by Disney's viewpoint.  For one, CoH is a well-established and respected superhero MMO with numerous fans just waiting to get back in and resubscribe.  The Marvel MMO is almost not an MMO - it's a Diablo-clone featuring Marvel characters.  It's a different genre of game - the only similarity with CoH is that it involves superheroes and is multiplayer.

From Disney's standpoint, if they were to purchase CoH and run it concurrently with their "Marvel MMO," they would basically have fingers in two parts of the MMO market.  Those looking for a Diablo-like (competing with Torchlight and Diablo itself) and those looking for a conventional MMO (Competing with Champions Online and DCUO).  They would have a new stable of characters to use, which they could work into Marvel crossovers or even incorporate into the Marvel universe if they so wished - or keep them separate and use them on their own merits, as they have with The Incredibles.

We know that with Disney's clout and a little advertising budget, City of Heroes can thrive again.  If it can thrive under NCsoft's mismanagement, I can only imagine what it will be capable of under a responsible owner.  If Disney treats it responsibly, it's not going to flop, and it's not going to fail for a long time.  Obtaining it at a reasonable price from NCsoft (if NCsoft will give them a reasonable price - something they'll likely be put under pressure by their shareholders to do) will be both cheaper and faster for Disney than building their own game.  Getting CoH means profits more-or-less immediately, compared to waiting another year or two for their Marvel MMO to pan out - with no guarantee it even will.  Even if running CoH does pull players from the "Marvel MMO" that's still money in Disney's pocket either way - and it's money taken away from Champs Online and DCUO, who currently dominate the Superhero MMO niche, with CoH's closure.

So, if you stop and think about it, getting CoH and running it properly is a pretty sweet deal for Disney.  Nice and low-risk; they know how it will likely perform, since it's performed before.  The only question is can they get it at a reasonable price from NCsoft, assuming NC's willing to sell?  And as I'll reiterate, Disney's viewpoint is the ony viewpoint that matters, Marvel has no say in the matter.

So... where's this mysterious conflict of interest you keep seeing?

[Victoria Victrix]

I was merely referencing that Marvel views any other superhero universe as a competitor.

that being said, yeah disney owns marvel, which is why if they don't see the option of merging Marvel and CoH, then they can and will only view CoH as 2 things 1: a threat to thier currently owned superhero franchise, 2: a laughable suggestion due to the first option.

I think some effort needs to be made to convice disney and marvel that merging with CoH is a very good idea.

Also winning the lottery has appeared to fail for me, unless the numbers magically change.. didn't even match a single number in the powerball..

Since you have not even looked at the stickied thread I asked you to look at I will sum it up for you here.

A four man team, including myself, the most respected Internet Marketing Specialist in the English-speaking world, a profession journalist and a senior IT tech, overseen by Paragon Studios senior employees, put together a 31 page "pitch" document for Disney that can be adapted to every other possible target to buy CoH. 

I should think 31 pages is enough to convince anyone, if they can be convinced at all.  Is that "effort" enough for you?