Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island creator, Ron Gilbert, wants to buy back his IPs from Disney now that they will no longer be self-publishing video games.
As we reported two weeks ago, Disney have changed their approach to developing games. Instead of creating games in their own studios, they will be focusing on licensing their brands out to other developers.
Ron Gilbert has sent a message to Disney via Twitter asking if he can buy back his IPs. He writes in his message: “Dear @Disney, now that you’re not making games, please sell me my Monkey Island and Mansion Mansion IP. I’ll pay real actual money for them.”
Disney currently owns the rights to the Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island IPs following their acquisition of LucasArts. It is likely Disney will not use either of the IPs in any way, but there’s little to no chance of them selling off the IPs either.
Disney are infamous for hoarding IPs, and when you consider how much money they have, it’s unlikely they will relinquish any control over their properties. They may license the IP to Ron Gilbert, but even that seems like a stretch.
