Why Hasbro Inc. should own Toontown Online

For a long time now, I've been suggesting that Hasbro pick up the rights to Disney's Toontown Online. Now, I explain why... Disney is one of the lamest, most pathetic examples of a company trying to get into the growing videogame industry I have ever seen. No. I'm not kidding. It's amazing how terrible a company that's been wowing children the world over for almost a hundred years could possibly be with trying to get into this ever-growing industry. But Disney somehow managed to screw it up at every turn. Everything from poor console sequels nobody asked for, to AWFUL handheld games, and blowing it royally when they actually DID get something that was worthwhile... it's just a train wreck! I have never seen a big-budget company slip up so badly in every attempt at breaking into the industry they've tried to do. It hurts me to look at Disney and see people describe them as "Good Overall Game Publishers." Really? I'm sorry, but if you think Disney is anything good as far as video games go, you're living in a bubble. And not the kind we commonly associate with here in Toontown. I'm warning you guys right now: This was the single most difficult thing I've ever had to do since assuming this position in Bulldozer Studios. But this has been a long time coming. The Walt Disney Company has had this coming for a long time now, and I feel it's finally time to get this off my chest and fully explain why Disney themselves needs to sign over the rights to Toontown Online to Hasbro Inc., and why Disney as a company should be added to the Video Game Hall of Shame. And you know what? I'm not a Disney hater. I love their content. I've watched almost all of their movies, and still own a bunch to this day. I actually watched their cartoons when I was growing up. And above all, I LOVED their game Toontown Online, which, thanks to its fan-made revival Toontown Rewritten, is still alive TO THIS DAY! I actually used to love Disney when I was younger. I still remember the very first time I saw A Bug's Life. I still remember seeing Finding Nemo in theaters with my dad when it first came out. And I'm more than happy that they picked up the rights to Star Wars and are giving long-time fans something new to look forward too, even if people argue that they're utter trash compared to what came before. But even so, I had to watch as the movies and characters I grew up with received awful and poor videogames that either fell flat on their face, or rapidly faded from the scene despite actually being good. How many people do you see nowadays talking about Ratatouille for the Nintendo DS? Exactly. It's soul-crushing at its finest. For every good game they put out, there's always one, if not more, bad games that tip the scale in the other direction. And their good games usually don't last long in the spotlight before fading from sight, sometimes forever. While Kingdom Hearts has fared somewhat well overall, it's questionable as to whether or not it counts as an official "Disney Game", considering it's a cross-over between Final Fantasy and Disney characters. The second game left a bittersweet taste in people’s mouths compared to the first, and history is set to repeat itself with the third game. It'll probably turn out to be good, but I'm not holding my breath. As for all the licensed games that have come out over the years? Well... I think they speak for themselves. They may or may not have been good, but aside from a couple of SNES/Genesis games, nobody remembers them, so let's move on. Disney tried their hands at MMORPG's, and shockingly enough, they succeeded... for a while. Ever since it first launched in 2003, Disney's Toontown Online has been a mega-hit, even after the game closed ( thanks in part to its revival Toontown Rewritten ). It's no wonder why people worldwide were heartbroken when they found out the game was closing. Go back and, if you can stomach it, watch that video of Charlie sobbing over Toontown's closure again. Watch as this child’s love for something he really enjoyed came out and made its presence known following this grim announcement. Can you imagine how heart-breaking that is for a young child? To watch something you probably grew up with suffer, burn and die, with you yourself unable to do anything about it? It's just miserable in every sense of the word. I really cannot express it in words just how much it meant to people everywhere when Toontown Rewritten showed up and brought our favorite game back from the dead. And while the same can be said for when Pirates of the Caribbean Online closed down as well, at least it wasn't as well-known as Toontown Online, so it didn't affect as many people. At least it didn't enrage people like me to hate Disney for years to come following its closure. Toontown Online, on the other hand, was their "Big Daddy" in terms of MMO's for a good long while. So why did they close it down, when it was clear to them they had a hit on their hands that people loved? There are all kinds of reasons flying around the internet, but these are the ones I hear most often. It's been said time and again that the main reason Toontown Online closed was because it wasn't making Disney enough money, an argument that really doesn't hold water with me. Toontown Rewritten, years later, has proven that the game can survive with NO financial gain for the developers via the game itself whatsoever. And not only survive, but grow and expand to rival that of the original game itself. Is anyone else hyped up that they're going to take steps to come out of BETA this year? Heck yes! So money is no problem, an issue that Hasbro Inc. won't have to worry about IF they decide to pick up the rights to the IP. At least, as far as keeping the game itself up and running goes. Another argument that comes up a lot is Club Penguin. And this one makes much more sense than just money. If you'll remember, Toontown started to fade from the scene around the same time Club Penguin was on the rise. So naturally, Disney wanted to shift focus away from Toontown and focus more on Club Penguin. This is a business decision that ultimately ended up sinking Toontown, along with Pirates Online and whatever other MMO's Disney had up at the time. But the main reason why I'm so upset with Disney and their videogaming branch: How they treated Toontown. I've heard it said many times that Disney treated Toontown horribly in its last two years, making no bug fixes, updates, or moderation against hackers and exploiters. Now, while many people have stated that this is true, I've also seen many arguments saying that these claims are false. As of right now, I'm much divided about this matter, so it honestly doesn't affect me very much. If I actually do find valid, solid proof that these claims are real, then maybe I'll have a change of heart. It also doesn't help that Disney made one to many impractical business decisions with Disney Infinity and ultimately ended up getting the project canceled, costing at least three hundred people their jobs in the process. Disney, I'm amazed with you. First you completely butcher Toontown Online; you're "Mega-Hit" game that people are still enjoying today thanks to Rewritten, then you turn around three years later and completely BLOW IT with Disney Infinity! Really, I have to ask: WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? Between you lovely folks and me, I don't think Disney should be allowed to produce video games anymore. They've put out way more garbage over the course of their career then they've put out gems. And what gems they do put out, aside from Toontown and MAYBE Kingdom Hearts, is entirely forgettable. They should stick purely to what they do best: Excellent movies and fantastic television shows. As far as I know, Hasbro hasn't had the same rough ride as Disney has over the years. Many of their games have been competent, or at the very least appealing enough to topple all the licensed trash that Disney has put out over the years. And while they haven't had a perfect run either, having one or two hiccups here and there, unlike Disney, they haven't blown it on a worldwide scale like Disney has with Disney Infinity. This is why I feel Hasbro is THE best candidate to take on the Toontown Online IP and make something truly special with it. Because between you and me, I wouldn't trust Disney with the task of bringing Toontown back at this point. They're more than likely going to end up sinking it before it can even leave port, or sinking it later down the line with either poor business decisions or yet another major screw-up, leaving us all heartbroken all over again. And this, I say to Disney as a whole: You've had a, err... so-so run in the video game industry, and I'm not about to deny that. But with the amount of trash you've given us compared to the amount of top-of-the-line gems you've put out, maybe it's time to retire from the video game industry and just focus on what you do best. And sign off the Toontown Online IP to someone who I can personally say will deliver on what we, as the Toontown Community will want from this game, without blowing it on a massive scale like you have. And let's be honest here: Everybody and their grandmother have got to want this change, too. Where the IP sits now, it's not doing Toontown Rewritten any good in any way, and you have to understand it's not good for Disney's already tarnished videogame reputation. So, Disney, if you were to ask me, I'd say: Sign off the rights to Toontown Online to Hasbro and let them take it from here. Go back to delivering that classic Disney magic through movies and television. That's what you've been famous for all these years, so that's where you belong. Now, some people have said that I'm kind of beating a dead horse by constantly bringing this up, but I really felt the need to express why I'm so furious with Disney's recent string of failures with the videogaming industry, and why Hasbro should be the ones to take up the reigns ( no pun intended ) with Toontown Online, so that nobody asks me about it ever again. I didn't want to hate Disney's videogame lineup. Not after loving their movies for so long. I had faith that they could never do any wrong, and man, was I let down. This entire experience should be in classes about game design: "How NOT to break into the industry." This entire videogaming experience has damaged Disney's reputation, and who knows if it'll ever be the same? They may never save face after the monstrous flop that they created with Disney Infinity. There's a reason why many people are saying that they've lost all faith in Disney, and as someone who loved their content prior to becoming a gamer, it hurts me to say that I know why. It hurts me in places I've never been hurt before. So, do you folks think Hasbro should pick up the rights to Disney? Should Disney sweep Toontown Online under the rug and forget it ever happened? How in the world can Disney possibly save face after that whole Disney Infinity fiasco that cost at least three hundred people their jobs? And how would Hasbro go about delivering a game that deserves the same praise as Toontown Online? Phew... again, this speech was a long time coming, and you have no idea how good it feels to finally get this off of my chest. Thanks for letting me vent about how bad Disney's gaming portfolio has been, and why Hasbro should be the ones to pick up Toontown Online and turn it into something, well... magical. Goodnight, everybody!