Disney CEO Explains Why The Company Didn’t Buy Twitter

Disney was very close to acquiring social media giant Twitter, but the company pulled out at the 11th hour because CEO Bob Iger had a number of particular misgivings.

Writing in his new book, Iger said Disney originally wanted to buy Twitter to help “modernize its distribution,” according to The New York Times. However, Iger ended up calling Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey “at the last minute” to tell him the deal was off, which reportedly stunned Dorsey.

Iger said Twitter was experiencing “troubles” that were too much for Disney to absorb. He also personally reflected that the Twitter user experience, for him, was anything but pleasant.

“The troubles were greater than I wanted to take on, greater than I thought it was responsible for us to take on,” Iger said. “There were Disney brand issues, the whole impact of technology on society. The nastiness is extraordinary. I like looking at my Twitter newsfeed because I want to follow 15, 20 different subjects.

“Then you turn and look at your notifications and you’re immediately saying, why am I doing this? Why do I endure this pain? Like a lot of these platforms, they have the ability to do a lot of good in our world. They also have an ability to do a lot of bad. I didn’t want to take that on.”

The full New York Times interview with Iger is incredibly fascinating; go read it here.

While the Twitter buyout didn’t work out, Iger has overseen four epic-sized acquisitions during his time at Disney. These included the buyout of Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and finally Fox. When Disney bought Star Wars, Iger recalled that Fox boss Rupert Murdoch “was crazed” because Fox already had an in-road with Star Wars as the distributor of George Lucas’ Star Wars films.

“Rupert was crazed that we bought Lucas,” Iger said. “They were the distributor of all of George’s movies, and he was very disappointed in his people. ‘Why didn’t you think of this?'” Iger said.

Disney’s next big movie is Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which hits theatres in December. It wraps up decades worth of storytelling, bringing an end to the Skywalker Saga that began in 1977.

Batman: Arkham Origins Dev Posts Cryptic Teaser, See All The Clues Here

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It appears Batman: Arkham Origins developer WB Games Montreal is teasing its new game. The studio tweeted today, September 22, for the first time in more than four years, with what looks to be a cryptic teaser for a new project.

The tweet celebrates the 80th anniversary of Batman’s first comic book appearance back in 1939 with a video that shows the Bat-Signal projected onto a building. But there is more to it. The video also contains flashes, at :03 and :21, of mysterious symbols that you can see below.

People are speculating that at least one of the symbols is in reference to the secret society, the Court of Owls, that exists in the Batman universe. Intriguingly, a WB Games Montreal developer tweeted in November 2018 a picture of a developer wearing a t-shirt with owl imagery on it. The tweet appears to be in reference to an upcoming, unannounced project.

More evidence for the Court of Owls connection came from Batman comics writer Scott Snyder. He tweeted, and then deleted, a post that specifically mentioned the Court of Owls. He used the hashtag #bewarethecourtofowls in his since-deleted post. You can see a screen-cap of his tweet below.

WB Games Montreal has numerous open positions posted on its jobs website, one of which mentions the studio is working on a “AAA unannounced game.” The studio is massive, as it currently employs more than 300 people and continues to staff up.

In 2016, Kotaku reported that WB Games Montreal canceled a Suicide Squad game and shifted focus to a new Batman game starring Damian Wayne. This could be the new title that WB Games Montreal is teasing, as Damian Wayne was featured in the 2012 comic “Night of Owls” that focuses on Batman’s fight against the Court of Owls. Nothing is confirmed, however.

In 2018, WB Games Montreal senior designer Osama Dorias said on the Humans of Gaming podcast that the studio was working on a “couple projects” connected to the DC universe. One of these games is a “major console game, open world, DC universe,” Dorias said.

Meanwhile, Batman: Arkham Knight studio Rocksteady is also working on a new project, though it has not been announced.

People are speculating that a forthcoming Batman game reveal could happen at the PlayStation State of Play event this week, though nothing at all has lent any credence to this.

How Twin Peaks Inspired Link’s Awakening

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Watch True Fiction Episode 1: The Murder That Inspired Twin Peaks

The first episode of GameSpot Universe’s exciting new series, True Fiction, is now available. If you’re not aware of it, True Fiction is a show about the real-life inspirations behind some of the fantastical stories we’ve come to love. The line between fantasy and reality is much blurrier than most realize and this is a show about delving into the origins of pop culture’s most compelling movies, TV shows, and more.

The first episode is all about Twin Peaks. More specifically, the murder that inspired the creation of the beloved, weird, and utterly surreal TV show. You can check out True Fiction on the GameSpot Universe YouTube channel, where new episodes will be released every Sunday.

Along with the episode, we’ve got some insight from Kurt Indovina, who writes and presents True Fiction, about the process of creating the show and his love of Twin Peaks. Check it all out below.

Kurt: I was changed after I saw Twin Peaks. It reshaped my views on everything I watched after it. Twin Peaks taught me to revel in the thrill of a mystery, to cherish the unknown, and come to terms with the idea that not every question merits an answer.

It’s a show that’s so weird and perverse that I saw it as a reflection of the twisted minds of the show’s creators Mark Frost and David Lynch. Which is why it was so troubling and bizarre for me to learn that it was, in fact, inspired by something that really happened: a cold case from over a century ago, the murder of Hazel Drew.

To my surprise, when I learned about Hazel Drew and her mysterious death, I found myself conflicted. For a show that often never answered its own questions, learning that there was a definitive origin for Twin Peaks, and that it came from our reality, started to dispel the enigmatic nature of the show and its creators–the reality of Hazel’s case seemed to suddenly reveal too much.

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But like all good mysteries, I couldn’t help but be mesmerized. And unlike the murder of Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks, Hazel’s murder remains unsolved.

Diving in and learning everything about Hazel’s complicated case, and the countless questions it raised, left me with the feeling that Twin Peaks wasn’t so strange after all, and that the truth behind its inspiration is more frightening, because it did happen.

And that’s what encapsulates what I love so much about True Fiction: It’s about showing that the inspirations for the pop-culture we adore is often darker, stranger, and even more interesting. My hope is that, in the same way that learning about Hazel Drew’s untimely and unsolved death forced me to look at Twin Peaks from a different perspective, you will walk away from each episode thinking about the movies, TV shows, and other subjects we cover in a different way.

So I’m not just proud and ecstatic for True Fiction’s premiere episode to be based on something near and dear to me like Twin Peaks, but to tell the real story of Hazel Drew, and allow her story to live on alongside one of the most iconic shows her sad case inspired.

Laura Palmer’s story–the murder of a picture perfect girl in a small town–has since become a trope so common in movies and television that it’s hard to ever disassociate it with Twin Peaks. But now, I may only think of Hazel Drew.

Further Reading For Episode 1

Get a Deal on Comfy Rocking Gaming Chairs From Walmart

Sometimes the simplest pleasures in life are the best, like having a chair that reminds you of rocking to sleep in grandma’s arms, but also doesn’t stunt your ability to game like a pro. Well, Walmart is here with some great deals on rocking gaming chairs to make that leisurely life a reality.

X Rocker II SE 2.1 Wireless Gaming Chair Rocker

gaming rocking chair 1

Batman: Arkham Origins Dev Teases Cryptic Images While Celebrating Batman Day

Batman: Arkham Origins developer WB Montreal posted a video celebrating Batman Day early Sunday morning, which contained a series of cryptic images that could be teasing a new Batman game.

In what appeared to be nothing more than a 30-second clip of a city building being illuminated by the Bat signal (a somewhat common occurrence on Batman Day), four different images flash by every few seconds. Here’s each image as they appear while paused, courtesy of Twitter user @NYCWallSpider.

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Downton Abbey Trounces Rambo: Last Blood and Ad Astra at the Box Office

The posh upstairs/downstairs antics of Downton Abbey: The Movie – the cinematic sequel to Julian Fellowes’ hit TV series – was enough of a dapper draw to rake in an estimated $31 million in its opening weekend. It’s a handsome haul that proved too much to overcome for Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo: Last Blood and Brad Pitt’s sci-fi flick, Ad Astra.

Adding in the overseas box office, Downton Abbey’s pulled in $30.8 million, bringing its entire run so far to $61.8 million. Which is the type of take vs. budget (a meager $13 million) that might have Focus Features and Universal Pictures International working feverishly to craft a sequel.

Last Blood and Ad Astra didn’t perform poorly however, with Pitt’s well-reviewed space mystery snagging second place with $19.2 million. It was enough to just barely edge out Stallone’s final installment in the 37-year Rambo franchise, which made $19 million.

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Daily Deals: Big Savings on Ryzen CPUs, Preorder Code Vein and The Surge 2 for $49 and Much More

Welcome to IGN’s Daily Deals, your source for the best deals on the stuff you actually want to buy. You can also follow us at Twitter @igndeals.

We bring you the best deals we’ve found today on video games, hardware, electronics, and a bunch of random stuff too. Updated 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Save Big on Last Gen Ryzen CPUs at Amazon

ryzen

Building a new PC, or looking for some AMD upgrades? Currently at Amazon there is a stellar deal on the 2000 series CPUs. These aren’t the latest model chips, but still preform incredibly well and will save you a ton of money while building your latest gaming machine (or productivity machine if that’s your desire).

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