All is not well at Disney at the moment. CEO Bob Iger was hailed as a conquering hero when he returned to the company last year, but media giant continues to suffer big losses in the box office and the stock market as it seeks to reverse its fortunes.
A new Bloomberg report details many of Disney's internal struggles, which are said to have Iger ruefully joking about his decision to return. Among the ideas reportedly floated among Disney executives is a "bolder transformation...from gaming licensee to gaming giant" through an acquisition of a major publisher like Electronic Arts.
Such a move would potentially give Disney access to the billions in annual revenue generated by EA Sports FC, Madden NFL, and EA's other microtransaction-fueled games. It would also fit well with ESPN, which Disney considers one of its major pillars.
Alternatively, Disney could acquire some of the studios under the newly established EA Entertainment label, which includes BioWare and Respawn. Respawn, it should be mentioned, is the studio responsible for one of the more popular Star Wars licensed games in Star Wars: Jedi Survivor.
EA appears to be setting itself up for an acquisition by splitting up its studios into EA Sports and EA Entertainment divisions, making it easier for a buyer to scoop up one part of its business or another. Ubisoft is another publisher that has been floated as a potential acquisition target.
Disney has a long history with games stretching back to the days of Disney Interactive Studios, which was responsible for releases including Disney Infinity and Epic Mickey. Disney wound up closing the studio in 2016.
Iger, for his part, is said to be "noncommittal" to the idea of expanding back into the gaming space. Disney Illusion Island, which was developed by Diala Studios, released earlier this year to mostly mixed reviews.
Still, it's apparently one option as Iger continues to attempt to right the ship. As the Bloomberg story notes, he's made other attempts - like cutting content from Disney+ and doubling the price of the streaming platform to stem losses - but there's still a long way to go.
Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
