I think I'm more surprised that Sega even has $1B to spend...
https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2021/11/07/sega-talks-s...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2022/04/28/box-o...
A third movie is on the way.
On the consumer side, I can only imagine it would be yet another x86 based console, because what else is there to do? Another samey controller, because once you add a right analog stick, and left and right bumpers and a home button, what do you have left to differentiate on? Can't even put the cable on the wrong side anymore. I guess you could have a nicer screen and just build it into the controller, but that was hardly used last time.
On Sega's side, they're going to do all that R&D to make the same thing as everyone else and then how are they going to make the money back? Not on first party game sales. Third party sales will be hard too, unless they have some really strong pitch, but at this point, they're really a new entrant, so who's going to port to the new guy's platform, unless it's so amazing and underpriced that everyone will want to buy it.
Might be nice if they can figure out how to make a mini-dreamcast though. Depends on how many games they can get licensees to sign up for though, I guess.
Here's a source https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinereid/2023/03/01/reveale...
But once you factor in toys for the movies and shows (and other merch), DVD and Bluray sales,video games units sold and microtransactions, theme park tickets, increased subscriptions to Disney+ for marquee shows like the Mandalorian etc. it probably has been made back, probably with a multiplier.
This is just one example breakdown of the numbers:
https://practicaleconomics.org/category/star-wars/
We also know that Disney+ is hemorrhaging tons of money. Disney reported something like a $1.1 billion loss in 2003-q1, and $1.5 billion loss the previous quarter. This is like Disney sinking one of their cruise liners every quarter. Neilsen streaming ratings have shown Star Wars shows have completely fallen off and have failed keep Disney+ competitive.
There are also tons of stories reported about how the Star Wars toys have failed to sell, and retailers were fire selling everything trying to get rid of the merchandise.
This is interesting. Is this a US only phenomenon? I understand that the US is the biggest market for Star Wars. But if true, this is quite fascinating since I thought Baby Yoda toys and lightsabers are super popular gifts, despite the popularity of super hero toys.
Baby Yoda toys were an exception to the rule. But even Baby Yoda toys have their own story of missteps in this saga. Disney was caught completely flat-footed by the success of Baby Yoda and did not have any toys ready to go at the launch of The Mandalorian. Disney was overcompensating for the toy disaster after all the movies, (which also made their toy make partners very unhappy). (I think Hasbro is one of the main suppliers.) Then when Baby Yoda was a surprise hit, and fans were going to things like CafePress out of desperation for anything, Disney desperately scrambled to get anything out as fast as possible. If I recall, they had to bypass their normal partner Hasbro and go to Mattel just to get something to market fast. This is almost unheard of.
Baby Yoda is the only merch hit they have, but there are now retailer signs showing demand saturation. And for Star Wars fans who follow all the shows, like The Mandalorian, people are saying it looks like Baby Yoda was supposed to have left the show, completing his arc around the end of season 2 or The Book of Boba Fett. But rumors say, Disney desperate to keep Baby Yoda in the spotlight, forced him back into the show, with rumors Baby Yoda is going to appear in a bunch of other future Star Wars shows, like the new Rey Skywalker-Palpatine show.
I also forgot to mention the The Star Wars Galactic Cruiser experience. People also keep track of open bookings in that hotel and show it is mostly empty. There are lots of estimates of how much this cost to build and what the operating expenses are (all this is very expensive), and it once again indicates this is a massive money loser for Disney.
From what I have seen most of them seems to be quoting each other figures in some kind of circle jerk with very little idea about what's actually true and most of it seems more fiction than fact, especially when it comes to derivative products and merchandising.