SEPT. 9, 2009 • Spurred on by Disney Co.’s $4 billion acquisition of Marvel Ent., Warner Bros. Ent. decided to announce the reorganization of its DC Comics franchise into a separate company, DC Entertainment. The spin-off was made in order to more aggressively exploit DC properties across as many entertainment mediums as possible.
Impact: Unlike most IP from other media, comic books and games are an almost perfect match. Marvel and DC Comics are fierce competitors. Marvel was already working with startup Gazillion to aggressively expand its licenses into game products. Disney also has aggressive plans to expand into games, so with the merger we expect to see a great deal of focus on Marvel games. DC Comics has such characters as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. These all have and should continue to make very successful games. In addition, Sony Online Entertainment is working on DC Universe Online, a major new MMOG. Comics could finally be Hollywood’s entry into the video game universe.
