Disney to buy LucasFilms for $4b

[Rudy]

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/disney-buying-lucas-films-for-4-billion/

I guess this means the end of Star Wars/Indiana Jones related tables coming to TPA

 

[smooverr]

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/disney-buying-lucas-films-for-4-billion/

I guess this means the end of Star Wars/Indiana Jones related tables coming to TPA

Yeah I was emailing back and forth with one of the devs at Zen last week. I asked if they were only working on Marvel tables, and he said they had just acquired the license to the "biggest sci-fi franchise of all time" and were woring on that. I specifically asked if me meant Star Wars, he couldn't confirm, but he winked and didn't deny

Plus, with Zen already having the Marvel rights (also owned by Disney), it makes perfect sense in light of todays announcement!

 

[Sinistar]

Not necessarily , bad for us , but way to keep it on topic for The Pinball Arcade .

Zen owns the Marvel tables , and has contract with Marvel/ Disney . This does not keep FarSight out of the running , as they have a product that recreates different pinball tables . However it would be easier for Zen to negotiate a deal to add Disney licensed characters , since Zen is a established partner.
But do we see Zen pinball Fantasia ? is there a Zen Pinball Ducktales or Little Mermaid? In the end Disney wil allow the companies that are profitable to do their own thing , but LucasArts might find itself in trouble as their profitability has not been in the black for decades.

 

[ND3G]

I seem to remember Farsight mentioning in the past that Zen's deal with Marvel/Disney did not block them from gaining the rights to reproduce replicas of real tables based on Marvel characters. I would assume the same would hold for Indy.

The sale to Disney may actually help facilitate licensing as I am sure Disney will be anxious to recoup some of their costs.

Worst case scenario, Zen remakes Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure. Now that would drive me completely bonkers. I loath Zen Pinball. Not the people working there, I am sure they are great. I just hate their pinball engine.

 

[Captain Rumwood]

If FarSight does negotiate with Disney, I think they should include in their discussion not only Star Wars and Indiana Jones. They should also negotiate to bring Pirates of the Caribbean for TPA. If Zen does have a better chance of getting those tables, I hope they don't make them console exclusive. This is one of the things I don't like about Zen. They have tables that look amazing but are X-Box exclusive and last time I checked there are no plans to bring tables such as Pasha, Rome and Bucanneers (to name a few) to other consoles.

 

[Richard B]

Disney is probably easier to work with than Lucas. Disney likes to make money, hence Episode 7 is already in development, and DVDs of the unaltered versions of the original trilogy are rumored to be on the way. It won't be easy for FS, but if they are successful in striking a deal with Disney, not only could they get the SW tables, they can also potentially get SM, XM, IM, Tron, and POTC, not to mention other tables in the future.

 

[JoshuaKadmon]

Bobby already stated that Disney was being a pain to work with, but I don't think it will prevent FarSight from pursuing Indy and SW. I think Disney is primarily interested in protecting their first-party licenses, not stuff that they acquired like Marvel and LucasFilm (as they would be seen as expenses and not company-developed investment IPs).

In other words, Indiana Jones and Star Wars are still more likely than Pirates of the Caribbean or TRON: Legacy.

 

[Richard B]

We'll likely also see a lot more SW and IJ games, maybe even re-releases of classic titles like the X-Wing Tie Fighter series. Then there's the classic Lucasarts games, particularly adventure games such as Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max Hit the Road, and many others might happen be re-released now.

 

[Bowflex]

It could go either way. On one hand, Disney is not easy to work with and is very protective of their licenses. They do demand top dollar. On the other hand, it ould reduce the workload. Now you have just one license holder for Disney, Marvel and Lucas related tables. Perhaps they could do a package deal or if Disney was interested in digital creations, they could potentially go and approach Farsight. You never know.

 

[Bowflex]

We'll likely also see a lot more SW and IJ games, maybe even re-releases of classic titles like the X-Wing Tie Fighter series. Then there's the classic Lucasarts games, particularly adventure games such as Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max Hit the Road, and many others might happen be re-released now.

Would love to see the Tie Fighter and X-Wing games brought back. Best simulator series ever. Only thing that came close for fun and authenticity was the Rogue Squadron series for Nintendo. Lucas had lots of great games. Full Throttle was cool too.

 

[smooverr]

Disney is probably easier to work with than Lucas. Disney likes to make money, hence Episode 7 is already in development, and DVDs of the unaltered versions of the original trilogy are rumored to be on the way. It won't be easy for FS, but if they are successful in striking a deal with Disney, not only could they get the SW tables, they can also potentially get SM, XM, IM, Tron, and POTC, not to mention other tables in the future.

Unless FOX is releasing it, it ain't gonna happen. They own the distribution rights to A New Hope in perpetuity (forever). And I don't see Fox doing a joing release with Disney, word around the campfire is they are pissed that Lucas didn't approach them about buying Lucasfilm.