I brought the point up on the site earlier this morning, but unfortunately haven’t had much time today to follow up with keeping up with the new addition and all, so I poked around tonight, and discovered a very good article on Reuters talking about the very same concerns I had in regards to the Disney/Marvel merger and how it could end up affecting toy makers, Hasbro in particular.
Reuters brings up some good points, mentioning that current licensing deals will stay intact, “Hasbro’s agreement with Marvel to make toys and games based on the latter’s characters extends through 2017”. However, from there on out, things may get murky, “especially since Disney has a longer history with Hasbro’s arch-rival Mattel Inc.”
Where Hasbro might feel an even bigger pinch, however, is in their recently announced television deal with Discovery Kids. Apparently, thought in industry circles is that Hasbro intended to offer a slate of Marvel related programming on that channel, but obviously with this new move, those programs would more likely drift over to Disney XD instead. Lots of legalese, and a lot of stuff that many of us don’t care about, but regardless, this could get interesting, and even though Hasbro will be cranking out Marvel figures for at least the next 7 years, they may feel the pinch in other areas, and it might be a big one.
That’s probably a good move on Marvel’s part. Hasbro managed to kill the Legends line with very little effort on their part. If I were Marvel, I’d be pushing for a Mattel license too.
i don’t know why you guys get any worried, lastly hasbro’s licences (the good licences) only last a two-year run. for example sigma6 and the 25th anniversary line, because of the line of the stupid movie took over. so don’t fret, you can still fully enjoy the marvel universe line for a year more or so.
That Reuters article is so poorly researched. Most if not all Marvel animated properties are already part of Disney XD. I mean really, turn on the TV before you write an article Reuters folks.
With all the toy hoopla busted as nonsense, this just gives more nonsense for people to be worked up about.
Hasbro and Marvel will continue to work together for a long, long time. Mattel is so far behind in boys toys it’s not even funny and Marvel knows that.