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Disneyland Still Closed, But California Adventure Partially Reopening for Limited-Time Event
In a move I can only assume is meant to bring life to a very particular Simpsons joke, Disney’s California Adventure theme park is temporarily re-opening for a “limited-time ticket experience" starting some time in mid-March.
In a memo sent out to Disney employees, Disneyland president Ken Potrock announced that 1,000 Disneyland employees will return to work sometime in mid-March for the event, Good Morning America reports. It's unclear how many park attendees Disney is planning for.
Don’t expect to visit the Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean, though. Disneyland rides and attractions will not be open during the event.
Instead, the event will focus on “world-famous food and beverage offerings from around the resort, the latest merchandise and unique, carefully crafted entertainment experiences." And Disneyland will still be closed due to California’s restrictions on theme parks and other large events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"]"While that is clearly not all we want to accomplish, it’s a start," Potrock said. "Teams are working as we speak to start recalling identified Cast in the coming weeks."
Potrock also stated that Disney California Adventure will operate with “limited capacity and enhanced safety measures” and be “offered multiple days a week.” Potrock has previously had harsh words for California governor Gavin Newsom, who has kept theme parks in the state largely closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Florida has allowed Disney World to remain open.
Disney recently shuttered its annual pass program due to the impact of the pandemic, promising to refund customers and return with new membership options once parks can resume regular business. Even with about 1,000 employees returning to Disney California Adventure, Disney is still laying off an estimated 32,000 employees by mid-2021.
[caption id="attachment_247099" align="alignnone" width="720"]
ANAHEIM, CA - NOVEMBER 19: Ramona Rodriguez and Jacqueline Montanez walk along the Grizzly Peak Airfield inside Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, November 19, 2020. The Disneyland Resort opened some retail and dining in the park as an extension of the Downtown Disney District. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)[/caption]
After Newsom lifted California’s stay-at-home order in January, outdoor dining was allowed to resume in Downtown Disney.
It’s been almost a full year since Disneyland and California Adventure closed. The park shut its doors on March 14, 2020, and Anaheim has proven to be one of California’s hotbeds of COVID-19 cases.
According to Anaheim.net, Anaheim currently has seen almost 40,000 cases of COVID-19, with five deaths reported on February 8. A total of 621 Anaheim residents have died due to complications arising from COVID-19. California as a state has seen more than 3 million COVID-19 cases, with more than 44,000 reported deaths.
Disney is also expected to announce its quarterly earnings report later this week, in what will be the most up-to-date snapshot of the park’s financial situation.
[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.Terraria Devs: Google Boycott Includes Future Games, but Not Existing Ones
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EA Acquires Glu Mobile for $2.1 Billion, One of the Biggest Gaming Acquisitions Ever
Electronic Arts will acquire mobile game studio Glu Mobile for a weighty $2.1 billion, the companies announced Monday, making it one of the most costly video game acquisitions in history.
Glu Mobile is, as the name implies, a mobile game development studio with a few heavy-hitting franchises to its name: Diner Dash, Disney Sorceror’s Arena, WWE Universe, TapSports Baseball ‘20, Kim Kardashian Hollywood, Deer Hunter, and others.
EA is demonstrating a clear interest in developing their mobile game business with the acquisition. Glu Mobile reports their game catalog has earned more than $1.32 billion in bookings over the past year. EA states that their reasoning for acquiring Glu Mobile includes growing their mobile games portfolio into sports, RPG, lifestyle, casual, and “midcore” games.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/22/the-5-biggest-takeaways-from-xboxs-bethesda-acquisition"]As part of the deal, Glu Mobile is getting access to EA’s global licensing and distribution capabilities. Glu Mobile’s experience in monetizing sports and casual games is also a point of interest for EA.
“Our acquisition of Glu combines amazing teams and deeply-engaging products to create a mobile games leader with proven expertise across many fast-growing genres,” said Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts. “Mobile continues to grow as the biggest gaming platform in the world, and with the addition of Glu’s games and talent, we’re doubling the size of our mobile business. With a deep IP portfolio and an expanding global audience, we’ll deliver more exciting experiences for our players and drive further growth for Electronic Arts.”
The acquisition brings Glu Mobile’s 500 game developers (and approximately 800 total employees) under EA’s umbrella.
EA is on a recent tear with game studio acquisitions. The company defeated Take-Two Interactive to acquire DiRT developer Codemasters in January for $1.2 billion.While the acquisition is dwarfed by a few considerably larger grabs, it still stands as one of the most expensive of all time. According to Statista, Tencent acquired Clash Royale developer Supercell for $8.6 billion. Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media (parent company to Bethesda, id Software, Arkane, MachineGames, and Tango) in 2020 for $7.5 billion. Activision acquired Candy Crush developer King for $5.9 billion in 2016, while Microsoft acquired Minecraft developer Mojang for $2.5 billion for 2014.
EA’s acquisition of Glu Mobile places it above other business deals like Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus VR ($2 billion), Zynga’s acquisition of Peak ($1.8 billion), and Bandai’s acquisition of Namco.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/21/xboxbethesda-deal-what-it-means-for-ps5-ign-daily-fix"]EA previously purchased Plants vs. Zombies and Bejeweled developer Popcap games for $750 million in 2012. Adjusted for inflation, EA has spent roughly double that amount for Glu Mobile. Popcap’s acquisition eventually brought us Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 1 and 2, and Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville.
The Glu Mobile acquisition is expected to close on June 30, 2021, subject to all necessary approvals.
[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/easily acquired for IGN.
