Last week Disney announced the shutdown of its console development division. As a result, the company will be shutting down Avalanche Studios and discontinuing the Disney Infinity series. Now Warren Spector, the mind behind Deus Ex, wants the rights to the concepts that he created while working for Disney Interactive.
Spector took to Twitter to ask Disney for the rights to the intellectual property that he created at the Disney-owned Junction Point Studios, stating that the company is “never going to do anything with them.”
Hey, Disney, now that you're out of games can I have the IP I created at @JunctionPoint back? You're never going to do anything with them.
— Warren Spector (@Warren_Spector) May 14, 2016
Spector also hinted at some of the concepts that he wants from Disney.
Since Disney acquired @JunctionPoint they own my near-future action, modern day ninja & epic fantasy concepts. It'd be nice to get 'em back
— Warren Spector (@Warren_Spector) May 14, 2016
Under Warren Spector, Junction Point had developer Epic Mickey 1 and 2. The studio also had plans to develop Necessary Evil, a spiritual successor to Deus Ex. Disney gained the rights to Necessary Evil when it acquired Junction Point in 2007, and still holds onto those rights.
It is understandable that a creator would want to regain the rights to their ideas after a studio shuts down. Earlier this year, former Assassin’s Creed director Patrice Désilets regained the rights to 1666: Amsterdam from Ubisoft. It took almost three years of legal disputes to reacquire the IP, however.