If the deal goes through, does this change anything for DnD?
... But at the same time, it would be preeeeetty unsurprising. Hasbro is one company that stands to gain a lot from the Lucasfilm purchase, and new SW films - they hold the merchandise rights apparently all the way through 2020.
If Disney decided that it was going to be THE company profiting from SW, that would be the way to do it.
(All of my monies if that meant a revival of Star Wars Miniatures in time for new films. ALL OF IT. EVEN THE MONIES I DON'T HAVE.)
Maybe a Disney-based Magic: the Gathering expansion akin to Kingdom Hearts. I could dig that.
geek-news.mtv.com/2012/11/05/disney-buyi...
That looks like the source of it, though it's being talked about elsewhere. Whether it's credible or not is certainly debatable, but the move makes sense: Hasbro has pre-existing toy licenses for both Marvel and Star Wars IPs, so from a synergy standpoint the merger makes perfect sense.
Not really. Maybe a D&D animated movie with a heart-warming story in which one of the favored protagonists dies and the others rise above their sorrows (with the help of songs by noted celebrity singer/songwriters) to save the day.
As long as they don't make the villain(s) like most Disney villains and make them Evilson PuppyKicker McVillageBurner levels of evil.
As for the game, it'll probably be shelved before 2015.
Disney's buying binge isn't stopping with Marvel and LucasFilm: apparently they've been in talks to buy Hasbro as well. (Hasbro, of course, owns Wizards of the Coast, who owns DnD).
If the deal goes through, does this change anything for DnD?
The ruler of hell will now be Mickey Mouse.
Donald Duck, Rage Mage.
Duck Barbarians/Wizards in core.
Donald Duck, Rage Mage.
I've seen Disney movies. It's the mice that get wizardly powers. All the duck does is rage. ;)
I don't think the sky is falling...yet.
Ultimately, these acquisitions come down to money, marketing, and media "reach". Disney doesn't want to Disney-fy their new properties. They just want the money those properties have been making by doing their own thing. Disney isn't dumb. They're buying these properties because they are working well right now. Disney is not going to be rocking any boats.
D&D can only stand to benefit from Disney's incredibly strong market presence.
I am more worried about what this means for Transformers, GI Joe, and My Little Pony.
Do those things make money? I have little concern for them. Disney seems to be diversifying its holdings more than anything else, and then just kind of leaving things alone if they "work". I guess I would worry about GI Joe (if I cared about GI Joe).
On the WotC side of things, I would hope - hope - that Disney would leverage "a company that makes RPGs" to make RPGs for their properties. By which I mean, I would hope WotC would get the SW licenses back, and continue the awesome work they were doing with them.
If true, I see no real downside. As much as people joke, Disney has taken a fairly hands off approach to the licenses they have acquired. No sign of Mickey Mouse in the Avengers, for example. Pixar has been allowed to run autonomously. And lucasfilm remains in creative control over the IP.
The article I read said he was kept on as a creative consultant. That doesn't mean control. Has there been another article that says that he retains control?
If true, I see no real downside. As much as people joke, Disney has taken a fairly hands off approach to the licenses they have acquired. No sign of Mickey Mouse in the Avengers, for example. Pixar has been allowed to run autonomously. And lucasfilm remains in creative control over the IP.
The article I read said he was kept on as a creative consultant. That doesn't mean control. Has there been another article that says that he retains control?
It means it appeases fans that might be upset with Lucas being out completely. Control has been handed down to another lady...I don't recall her name.
Edit: Kennedy! That's it, thank you Foxface.
Duck Barbarians/Wizards in core.
Donald Duck, Rage Mage.
I've seen Disney movies. It's the mice that get wizardly powers. All the duck does is rage. ;)
Well in the games the ducks get the magic and the mice get the swords.
If a company agrees to follow the OGL and they have been found to not be following it then the license can be terminated. One of the ways to not follow the OGL is to use IP that does not belong to the company.
Explain how they're doing that.
The bigger concern is how long can they tie up other companies in court until finances run out? Or how much they actually care about D&D. They're after Star Wars.
This is what is probably more likely. Keep the other guy tied up in court, draining their funds until they settle in order to avoid rising legal fees.
Disney, if they bought hasbro, would no more own the IP and ogl that paizo is using than hasbro does now. If hasbro hasn't sought legal action yet, Disney wouldn't either.
It all depends on how much Disney actually cares about it. They are known for being relentless when it comes to protecting their IP. Like Palladium on steroids, heroine, and speed at the same time.
It's really a matter of how many loopholes their lawyers can find and how much effort they're willing to put in to it. They're a juggernaut, and they have ways of working around laws to get what they want.
Specifically speaking, they have no claim to the OGL, though.
If a company agrees to follow the OGL and they have been found to not be following it then the license can be terminated. One of the ways to not follow the OGL is to use IP that does not belong to the company.
Explain how they're doing that.
Now, or once Disney owns the IP?
This is my reference....from the OGLv1, which happens to be owned by WoTC.
12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
Once disney creates a goblin and names it and trademarks it, every goblin out there will have to pass a Disney litmus test.
If the deal goes through, does this change anything for DnD?
Nah, one set of dark corporate overlords is much like the next.
If the deal goes through, does this change anything for DnD?
Nah, one set of dark corporate overlords is much like the next.
So, before, we had D&D with a set of Dark Overlords in TSR. Then they were bought by WotC, gaining a new set ruling over the first set.Then they were bought by Hasbro, and gained a new set of Dark Overlords ruling over the previous set. If Hasbro is bought by Disney, it would be Dark Overlord-ception.
I am more worried about what this means for Transformers, GI Joe, and My Little Pony.
Do those things make money? I have little concern for them.
Well, Transformers has had three billion dollar movies made, I guess that counts for something. And each of these brands probably makes more than the entire hobby of table top rpgs. What is your point? I do wonder how long the Disney legal team would allow Pathfinder to exist before they figured out some way to tear it down. Remember, these are the people that filed suit and won against the makers of Kimba the White Lion for copyright infringement on the Lion King, despite KtWL being made before the Lion King.
They did that? Wow, since both are inspired by an African legend...
I yield, I don't know anything about US law.
Basically whoever throws the most money at the case wins...
But the goblin in the ogl is 1) not that specific and 2) not owned by Disney , even if Disney buys d&d via hasbro.
D&D has no claim to "goblin" any more than Disney has claim to Snow White. They own their particular version of Snow White, true. But not all Snow White's are the same. Theirs sings and has a blue and yellow dress with a red ribbon and lives with 7 dwarfs with silly nicknames. Mine would have different defining characteristics.
Same with d&d.
That works for me. Disney has railroad cars full of cabbage.
Well since the U.S. dollar is plummeting in value, I guess cabbage is more valuable...
That works for me. Disney has railroad cars full of cabbage.
Well since the U.S. dollar is plummeting in value, I guess cabbage is more valuable...
MY CABBAGES!....ARE WORTH MILLIONS!
The War Duke as a new character at Disney World! Complete with the new ride: The Wizard's Water Slide. You can onky go once per day.
The water slide should be called Critical Spit!
I said this a few times already.
Maybe we'll get first D&D movie out of this.
I can see that. After all, there was the The Black Cauldren and that was a Disney movie.
Other D&D avenues like the board games or pc/video games are still marketable enough to the masses to keep the D&D brand alive. As to the table top game, well I really don't see this surviving. Or it gets turned into something that is marketed for the teen/pre-teen demographic. Either case it isn't good.
Regarding Disney's lawyers doing crazy stuff to Paizo or whatever -
Disney may be somewhat bigger (it's ten times bigger in terms of stuff like revenue) and somewhat more evil (evil is difficult to quantify) than Hasbro, but Hasbro is still a ginormo company. It's possible that Disney will be more interested in trying to lawyer the heck out of competitors taking advantage of an unusual legal setup of their subsidiary's subsidiary's B-side product, associated with the version of that product from ten years ago, but it also seems very possible that they would be not any more interested in doing that than Hasbro's been.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Pirates
www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/sep/30/...
www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/business/medi...
info.legalzoom.com/legal-use-disney-char...
People will be sued for drawing goblins.
Open licenses are open. They have no claim to the OGL any more. Supreme Court has ruled that previously.
OK, so what. Disney still makes more than enough $ to drag even a pre-determined doomed court case out to infinity & beyond.
Can Paizo hold out that long?
And then comes the apeals....
Although a high-production Dragonlance Chronicles film trilogy would rule...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Pirates
www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/sep/30/...
www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/business/medi...
info.legalzoom.com/legal-use-disney-char...
People will be sued for drawing goblins.
Open licenses are open. They have no claim to the OGL any more. Supreme Court has ruled that previously.
OK, so what. Disney still makes more than enough $ to drag even a pre-determined doomed court case out to infinity & beyond.
Can Paizo hold out that long?
And then comes the apeals....
I think a losing side in a court case in the USA can be held accountable for the winning sides legal fees. The OGL is more or less an open and shut case.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Pirates
www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/sep/30/...
www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/business/medi...
info.legalzoom.com/legal-use-disney-char...
People will be sued for drawing goblins.
Open licenses are open. They have no claim to the OGL any more. Supreme Court has ruled that previously.
OK, so what. Disney still makes more than enough $ to drag even a pre-determined doomed court case out to infinity & beyond.
Can Paizo hold out that long?
And then comes the apeals....
I think a losing side in a court case in the USA can be held accountable for the winning sides legal fees. The OGL is more or less an open and shut case.
That requires there to be a verdict. The tactic would be to draw it out so much that the side that should win can no longer afford to pay their lawyers. Also, having the other side pay for legal fees requires a court order, it isn't a default.
It's bad enough with the Star Wars deal, I really don't fancy Jedi prancing around with talking teacups while Elton John sings in the background or what-have-you.
Snow White and the Seven Ewoks
Beauty and the Sith
Sleeping Empire
The Droid King
Sitherella
The Wookie and the Tramp
Darth Aladdin
Honey, I Blew up the Death Star
I find it almost sinister, seems soon Disney will own everything.
It's bad enough with the Star Wars deal, I really don't fancy Jedi prancing around with talking teacups while Elton John sings in the background or what-have-you.
Snow White and the Seven Ewoks
Beauty and the Sith
Sleeping Empire
The Droid King
Sitherella
The Wookie and the Tramp
Darth Alladin
I'm looking forward to movies
Shifter goes West
The Little Aboleth
The Wizards Apprentice
All Paladin's go to Heaven
Sword in the Stone (with the alternate ending were the wizard has to get it out for him)
I suposse Disney wants IPs, and D&D can be a true gold mine.
Disney doesn´t need D&D copyright to made a fantasy cartoon show, but.... I wouldn´t be surprised if they try made their equivalent to LotR+Hobbits trilogies...can you imagine stories by Pixar (Brave, the Increibles..) with D&D licence? (I am almost sure a movie or teleserie about haflings and gnomes like main character, or it may be about a magical girls).
About RPG system... the worst one could happen would be the new system weren´t so popular like Pathfinder rpg.
* I had thought lots of time about d20 Spectacular, the d20 Modern soucerbook never was published. I have wonder how a d20 superheroes would be... I don´t talk about Mutant&Mastermind but level 1 PCs are Iron Man and Hackweye fighting alien invanders.
If Disney buys Hasbro.... I can imagine a d20 marvel superheroes...but... it isn´t so easy so be designed. Superheroes are very different, some are too powerful, and others haven´t got superpowers or expensive weapons..Batman and Superman, Hulk and Daredevil, kick-ass & Hit-girl, Nemesis and Superior, Thor and Punisher, Green Arrow and Wonder Woman..different level of power.. and finding the right balance isn´t easy if we talk about a RPG system like d20.
Perhaps we'd actually get a decent D&D movie out of it?
+1
TBH, I highly doubt this happens. If it does, however unlikely, I would place my bets on Disney spinning off the WotC brand as a new independent company, as the brands WotC holds are valuable to a niche market but not enough that it really helps Disney anyway.
This is never going to happen. Disney, just like Hasbro, is an IP hoarder. They would rather a valuable brand name like D&D sit on the shelf collecting dust for 50 years than let it go to a competitor. Just like Hasbro, Disney has a habit of going back to that shelf every now and then to blow the dust off and resurrect a brand for a short while before letting it languish again in limbo. This is standard fad brand management. Once Disney owns the rights to D&D, it's never going anywhere.
If confirmed, this the absolute death blow to those of you who hoped and prayed that Paizo would get the D&D brand off of Hasbro.
Disney couldnt do a worse job at marketing the brand.
Marketing a trend means appealing to popular culture.
Trademark and Tradedress are different matters, of course.
D&D 6e, expect it in a few years. A game de-emphasizing combat and treasure gathering in favor of social play, with guidelines for presenting more dynamic adventures, sessions, and scenes. Including rules for gaining experience through other than killing monsters. Outwitting them for example.
Expect Wizards to be directed to stop trying to imitate such as video and computer games, and to focus their efforts on what makes RPGs unique. The social interaction, and the chance to live in an imaginary world where things can happen that can't happen in the real world. Expect them to aim at worlds where adventures of many sorts can occur, instead of the old "kill them and take their stuff" game.
Well,it would be a interesting innovation for sure!
One concern I have is how the Disney morality police could intervene in the lore and fluff of D&D. Disney has a squeeky clean image and has suppressed brands in the past who havn't adhered to that image. D&D has all kinds of devils, demons and the like. I have a hard time seeing another "Book of Vile Darkness" coming out under Disney's watch.
Considering the lousy reputation that this book has in every edition where it has been produced, and what I thought of the one instance I looked at, this specific item is not exactly a huge loss.
Considering the lousy reputation that this book has in every edition where it has been produced, and what I thought of the one instance I looked at, this specific item is not exactly a huge loss.
Keep in mind that while Disney owns various companies, they do have a hands-off policy. Marvel follows its own course where morality etc. is concerned. As long as Hasbro (and Wizards) produces a decent profit line, and doesn't engage in outright raunch, then Disney should be fine.
Ravenloft Haunted Mansion....
Fewmaster Toede's Wild Ride (On dragons!)
It's a Sigil World (Ride the planes!)
Spelljammer Mountain
Country Werebear Jamboree
Dumbo the Flying Oliphant
Pirates of the Astral Sea
and don't forget to see the Breland exhibit at Epcot's World Showcase!
It means that Mickey Mouse will be a D&D monster.
Lol, whatever. Disney will more than likely drop D&D or do awesome things with it like they did with Marvel material. They didn't change it, they just utilized and mainstreamed it.
If Hasbro is turning a profit, then that could be profit that Disney could be making. Seems like buying would be beneficial.
Imagine that with D&D miniatures (and colectable cards):
Or miniatures of Kre-o marvel superheroes or Kre-o Star Wars...(if Disney doesn´t buy LEGO too).
Or maybe Hasbro could buy a previous toyline copyright like Spanish airgamboys (like playmobil, but bigger).
man.. what can stop disney now?
A boycot like when that movie, "the golden compass"....
----
Other minature + videogame: Pokemon Rumble U.
Each figure will cost ¥200 Yen, which is approximately equal to $2 US Dollars
Would you pay a $2 D&D miniature (or a collectable card with a microchip) to play a videogame?