Disney to acquire Marvel

The biggest story of the day, if not the month of August, is Disney Company’s announcement this morning that it has agreed to purchase Marvel Entertainment. While this will eventually have a serious impact on a whole series of entertainment properties (like several cartoon series currently running on Viacom’s Nickelodeon) the real important thing to watch is the games and entertainment sector and the contracts Marvel has with companies like Activision and THQ.

The agreement to buy Marvel Entertainment includes a stock and cash transaction, the companies announced today. Under the terms of the agreement (based on the closing price of Disney on August 28, 2009), Marvel shareholders would receive a total of $30 per share in cash plus approximately 0.745 Disney shares for each Marvel share they own. At closing, the amount of cash and stock will be adjusted if necessary so that the total value of the Disney stock issued as merger consideration based on its trading value at that time is not less than 40 percent of the total merger consideration. Based on that closing price, the transaction value is $50 per Marvel share or approximately $4 billion.

Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Marvel including more than 5,000 Marvel characters. Ike Perlmutter, Marvel’s Chief Executive Officer, will oversee the Marvel properties, and will work directly with Disney’s global lines of business to build and further integrate Marvel’s properties. While the boards of both companies have approved this transaction, the deal is still subject to the normal regulatory approval and customary closing conditions - and the approval of Marvel shareholders.

And on a related note, Evan Narcisse has some interesting thoughts on the deal in his latest blog post - check it out.

Marvel Super Hero Squad details

THQ today formally announced Marvel Super Hero Squad, the first video game based on the animated series, The Super Hero Squad Show, scheduled to debut this fall on Cartoon Network. Marvel Super Hero Squad will mark the first title in THQ’s licensing agreement with Marvel Entertainment, and is currently in development for Wii, DS, PS2 and PSP. The game will offer both multiplayer and single player action and adventure using some re-imagined versions of Marvel’s most popular heroes and Villains.
Set in the Marvel Universe, the Super Hero Squad is on a mission against Dr. Doom’s Lethal Legion of villains to recover the hidden Infinity Fractals; fragments of the all-powerful Infinity Sword. Each Infinity Fractal holds power and can give each character special abilities that could alter the game’s rules and playing field. The game offers 20 Marvel characters to mix and match including Captain America, Dr. Doom, Falcon, Hulk, Iron Man, Juggernaut, Ms. Marvel, Silver Surfer, Thing, Thor and Wolverine, to name a few. Players can jump into a battle arena against up to three opponents in Battle Mode, or choose to play through six campaigns based on the animated series in Adventure Mode.

For more information on the Marvel Super Hero Squad video game, visit www.marvelshsgame.com.