Chapter 202: Empty Promises - Part 1

Truth be told, when Roy Disney straightened up and cast those shimmering eyes toward them, Ethan Jones was deeply moved by his passionate words.

After all, Ethan knew very well that what Roy Disney was talking about, the merchandising rights, was the future of intellectual property operations, or IP operations for short. In the era before his time travel, anyone involved in creative work would talk about IP development.

Novelists hoped their stories would be turned into movies or TV series.

Animators aspired to create games and sell merchandise.

The gaming industry was even wilder, as those who achieved success in this field were not short of money. Squaresoft had funded their own CG movie in the '90s called "The Spirits Within"; Nintendo was even earlier, having brought Mario to the big screen in '93 with "Super Mario Bros." and later in '23 with "Super Mario Bros. The Movie." Ethan had missed these movies due to his time travel, regretting not seeing whether the plumber had defeated King Koopa and saved Princess Peach again. Besides these, there were "Tomb Raider," "Uncharted," "Warcraft," and countless others.

However, even with many real-world examples from his past life, when Ethan decided to enter the gaming industry, he hadn't planned comprehensively for the development of game merchandise, or rather...

He hadn't considered it at all.

And the reason was simple.

IP development seemed exciting, but the majority were losing money in the process.

Novelists all wanted to be the next J.K. Rowling (the version not canceled by fans), but only a few could achieve significant box office success and good reviews.

Animators wanted to replicate Mickey Mouse's success, but to no avail.

And as for the gaming industry...

Let's not even go there, as it was notorious for its "fool and his money are soon parted" reputation.

It was the industry that lost money most disastrously.

When these harsh realities were laid before Ethan, he would have to be a fool to invest in game merchandising. With that time and money, investing in technology or even real estate would be better. Why bother with a project with no end in sight?

As for why there were so many companies in his past life jumping into IP development, hoping to make money from it? That was because Walt Disney had done it too successfully!

Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck brought them the most successful theme park ever, and merchandise like toys and clothing crushed movie profits. According to Bloomberg, for every dollar Walt Disney invested in animation movies, they would recoup it tenfold in net profits over the next two years through merchandise sales, a return on investment comparable to that of video games.

When such an addictive speed of making money appeared...

Everyone wanted to be Disney!

But—

No one could be Disney!

Because its success was built on riding the wave of the era!

Mickey's success wasn't due to its design, as the original version was just a mouse, but because "Steamboat Willie," which featured Mickey, was the world's first animated film with sound.

Before Walt Disney created it, children were watching silent films.

When Walt Disney brought sound into cartoon movies, the impact of "Steamboat Willie" on children was like "Star Wars" for that era!

Then came "Flowers and Trees," the first Oscar-winning animated short film.

With the Oscars' endorsement, it spread across North America.

Then, the first full-length animated movie "Snow White," the first stereophonic sound movie "Pinocchio," directly smashed the imaginations of children of that era!

As thousands of children grew up under the baptism of these historical firsts, Walt Disney's name became a brand renowned in North America and known worldwide.

After Walt Disney repeatedly reaped the benefits of the times, he could develop successful merchandise for his animated characters even with his eyes closed! Because what he sold was not just merchandise! While selling products to children, he was also selling fond memories to their parents, the big kids who had witnessed countless historical moments!

And this thing...

Who the hell could replicate that?

So, even though Ethan Jones knew there was a lot of money to be made in IP development, he restrained his desires, because "Snake" was not a historical first, and "Pac-Man," the first AI game, was not something ordinary people could appreciate at the moment.

When the representation and expressiveness of game characters could not be simply described with words, IP development was just asking for trouble. But now, Roy Disney, Walt Disney's nephew, said their company could exchange products with Destiny Game for mutual development...

Ethan Jones' eyes truly lit up.

No one could resist the historical depth of Disney.

No one could refuse the sentimental value Disney had built over the years.

However, even with Ethan's heart racing, he didn't immediately agree.

Such cross-industry collaboration required careful consideration. He needed to calm down and assess the situation before agreeing to Roy Disney's terms.

Thus, with a smile, Ethan expressed his intention to carefully consider the proposal and then left the drawing room with his sister.

As they returned to the event, quietly discussing in the elevator, Ethan asked, "What do you think?"

"It sounds wonderful," Evelyn said frankly. "Walt Disney is the king of the animation world. If they are willing to devote their efforts to creating movies for our game characters..."

"That would be a fantastic collaboration."

Evelyn emphasized the phrase "devote their efforts" a bit more heavily.

Understanding her point, Ethan nodded, "What do you think?" he asked again.

"Let's ask Steven and George," Evelyn replied more decisively this time.

Moreover, she shifted her gaze slightly from staring at the elevator doors to Ethan's handsome face, asking back, "We need the opinion of professionals, don't we?"

Ethan laughed, "Hahaha—"

Yes! He indeed wanted to seek the opinion of professionals now!

As the elevator door opened with a 'ding,' Ethan and Evelyn stepped out, only to find that in their short absence, Luke and Han had somehow taken over the stage, beating drums and singing songs, their performance eliciting a wave of applause and laughter from the audience, surprising and amusing Ethan.

"How much did they drink?" Evelyn wondered aloud, looking at the two men swaying as if they might fall at any moment.

"I don't know—" Ethan shrugged, understanding the feeling, "Just happy, I guess—"

"Shall we ask them again in a few days?" Evelyn suggested.

"I think that's a good idea," Ethan agreed.

However, just as Ethan was about to wave and signal that he would be heading back to the hotel to rest, he saw Steven Spielberg suddenly stand up from a chair on stage and shout out—

"Oh Ethan! Where did you go?"

"They urged us to perform, and we thought to call you up to play the guitar, but when we turned to find you, you were gone!"

"Now we've already embarrassed ourselves on stage!"

"It's your turn now—"

"Come on up, hurry!"

Ethan was amused yet embarrassed by their insistent invitation. Although he hadn't played the guitar in a long time, since the hosts had invited him, he couldn't let them down, could he?

Stepping onto the stage and taking a guitar from the band, Ethan quickly decided on a song.

"You guys know Redbone, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah~" the band members nodded in unison.

"'Come and Get Your Love'?"

"Okay~ Okay~" they eagerly assured there was no problem.