The recent launch of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, has enjoyed a huge media uproar and was the favorite subject across social media platforms for the following week, and justifiably so; Star Wars has been a cultural phenomenon since it hit the big screen in 1977. Naturally, this has stoked the flame of slots and pokies fans around the world, considering that blockbusters such as Batman and Wolverine have online casino versions that each attract a huge following. But sadly, Star Wars is now completely absent of the casino scene.
Disney Buys Star Wars and Marvel
Disney has owed the rights to Star Wars since 2012, when it purchased Lucas Films, a movie production company that is the creative force behind the uber popular sci-fi classic. Disney therefore owns all things Star Wars, which also includes novels, TV shows and comics that the entertainment giant added to its immense portfolio of holdings and activities. Disney also purchased Marvel in 2009. Marvel Comics is an important contributor to the world of gambling, which it does through its line of internet-based slot machine games; these include famous titles such as Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, The Hulk and Iron Man. One could think that it would make sense for Disney to use Marvel’s expertise to launch a Star Wars online slot version and to take advantage of a very profitable segment of the entertainment industry. Developed properly with the cooperation of Playtech, the software creative team which works Marvel, Star Wars would be a mega hit among gamblers.
Disney Pulls the Plug
Soon after acquiring Marvel Comics and Lucas Films, the people at Disney stopped renewing the licensing agreements with various casinos began to terminate the various agreements with the comic book giant and the film studio had forged with casinos in the US; this meant thousands of slot machines being pulled out of land casinos in the US.
So why has Disney pulled the plug of land based casino games? Because the entertainment giant is eager to control its image of a family friendly entertainment company with deep roots in child culture. After all, the world of Disney is synonymous with colourful characters such as Aladdin, Bambi and Donald Duck, which echo with childhood memories of literally billions of people around the planet. Let’s note that there’s not one Disney themed slot game on the net. Another factor to consider is Disney’s business model; one key element is for Disney to have complete control over its streams of income. Yes, there has been a few exceptions, such as Disney’s association with the Ice Capades, but this was done in the fifties and the entertainment giant used this opportunity to build its branding.
What about Marvel online slots
One comforting aspect of the current situation is that Disney is showing no signs to pull the plug on Marvel online pokies games. There could be good reasons for Disney abandoning land based casinos but letting Marvel continue its online slot activities. In its April 2014 article “Local Casinos Are a Losing Bet”, the business news website Bloomberg.com stated that land casinos where experiencing revenue declines year to year since 2006. For example, the Vegas Strip saw a $6.8 billion in 2007, for $6.5 billion in 2013. By pulling the Marvel slots from land casinos, Disney chooses to not be associated with a business model which is on the decline and still reinforces its image of a family friendly company. But gambling will still a robust growth in the next few years. In his January 26th 2016 article, Brian Pempus of cardplayer.com stated that one of the leading advisory and global technology company, Technavio, is predicting the US gambling market to be worth a staggering $93 billion by 2020, up from $67 billion in 2013. A good reason for Disney to stay active online through Marvel. Could this mean the arrival of online Star Wars slot game? This is indeed a very difficult move to predict, but based on Disney’s past behavior and the huge media uproar associated with Star Wars, it would safe to assume that the creator of Mickey Mouse will choose the more conservative route. To find out more about Marvel pokies visit PokiesPalace.com.au
Disney At A Glance
Disney’s target audience are children between the ages of 4 and 12.
Disney was launched in 1923 and is famous for childhood hits such as Mickey Mouse and Snow White but also owns the rights to hundreds of various other characters.
Disney is active in several entertainment and service sectors including films, theme parks, resorts, cruises, shows, stores, websites, publishing, radio, cable television, music and video games.
Disney runs several parks and resorts around the world including Florida, California, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Paris as well as Shanghai slated to open in June 2016.
Disney’s 2014 revenue: $48.81 billion
https://youtu.be/2bSRrPDqhqo?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published February 12, 2016. Updated December 15, 2019.
