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THQ CEO Brian Farrell noted that his company doesn't have the videogame rights to the Disney/Pixar Toy Story 3 film scheduled for release in 2010.
gamesindustry.biz wrote:
Speaking at a UBS Investment Bank conference in New York City, Farrell noted that THQ's current licensing deal gives them the rights to develop games based upon four Pixar films.
THQ has developed games based upon Pixar films such as Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Cars under an agreement that first began in 2002. The current agreement was signed in 2004 before the merger between Disney and Pixar.
Ratatouille, released this year, was the first film covered under the current agreement. Wall-E, coming to theaters in 2008, will be the second. The deal will also cover two as-yet-unnamed Disney/Pixar films to be released in 2009 and 2011.
Farrell noted that THQ never had any rights to Toy Story 3, so it was no surprise to them that Disney has decided to develop the videogames internally. The film itself is currently scheduled for a 2010 release.
Because THQ's current licensing agreement gives them the rights to develop videogame sequels, it won't actually expire until 2014.
In Fiscal 2007, over 80 per cent of the company's revenue came from licensed properties. THQ has some visibility in the long-term plans of Disney/Pixar, according to Farell, but their future working relationship is uncertain.
Quote:
"Intellectual properties come and go in this business," he said. "We have to plan as if those aren't going to happen, but certainly we will work aggressively with Disney as we will with everyone else in the IP business to try and get key franchises."
To Farrell, whether or not THQ develops Disney/Pixar properties in the future will come down to whether or not Disney is successful in the videogame business on its own.
Quote:
"It is really a better question for Disne
y," he said. "Are they satisfied with what they are doing with their internal group?"