Line #59 Main/FranchiseOwnershipAcquisition


1	As modern commercial fiction works are made to make a profit, unsurprisingly entertainment franchises and other intellectual properties have sometimes changed hands from one owner to another. This can happen either by way of one company directly buying the Intellectual Property from the current owner and/or the buying or merging of one company into another. What happens when a new owner is at the helm can result in all sorts of changes to the characters, settings, continuity, and other plot elements (e.g. DarkerAndEdgier, LighterAndSofter, DenserAndWackier, HotterAndSexier, etc) as those new creators apply their own CreatorThumbprint to that franchise.
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3	For a related concept see ChannelHop where the franchise changes to a new television channel or other kind of distributor (e.g. movie studio, comic/magazine/book publisher), but the franchise itself otherwise can remain with the original group and/or creative team that owns it. See also CocaPepsiInc, specifically its real-life section, for cases of other mergers between directly competing companies.
4	----
5	!!Examples:
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7	[[foldercontrol]]
8
9	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
10	* Creator/{{AIC}} negotiated with Toei Agency to jointly share copyrights of some of the former's [=IPs=] in April 2021, such as ''Anime/Megazone23'', ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'', ''Anime/{{Dangaioh}}'', ''Manga/HadesProjectZeorymer'', and ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis''.
11	* ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'' was originally co-produced and owned by Creator/StudioGainax before Creator/ProductionIG bought the rights in 2015.
12	* In 2008, Creator/NBCUniversal bought Geneon Entertainment (after which it was renamed as Geneon Universal Entertainment and then Creator/NBCUniversalEntertainmentJapan) from Dentsu, which acquired Geneon (then known as Pioneer LDC) five years earlier. Thus, [=NBCUniversal=] now holds several [=IPs=] previously owned by or partially owned by Pioneer and Geneon including the pre-1999 ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' titles, ''Anime/{{Moldiver}}'', ''Anime/ArmitageIII'', ''Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld'', ''Anime/PhantomQuestCorp'', ''Anime/BlackLagoon'', ''Manga/{{Mahoromatic}}'' and so on.
13	* The ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' TV series and first two films were originally owned by Creator/StudioGainax, but when series creator and director Creator/HideakiAnno formed Creator/StudioKhara in 2006, the studios jointly owned the rights to the series. That was until 2014 when Khara eventually bought out Gainax's rights after a legal battle between the two entities.
14	* The ''[[Anime/SaberMarionetteJ Saber Marionette]]'' franchise became a property of Animation Innovation Content Project, which was later renamed as Saber Project, in July 2015.
15	* ''Manga/ShamanKing'' was originally published by Shueisha. Kodansha bought the series after creator Hiroyuki Takei left Shueisha in 2017 due to CreativeDifferences.
16	* Creator/StudioTrigger bought the rights to ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' and ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'' from Creator/StudioGainax in 2021.
17	[[/folder]]
18
19	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
20	* ''Animation/GGBond'' is produced by Creator/WinsingAnimation, but was created by [=BlueArc=] Animation, being sold off to Winsing Animation after the fourth season due to Winsing needing some shows to develop to keep their infancy from becoming a problem. The fifth season was the first one to be produced by Winsing.
21	[[/folder]]
22
23	[[folder:Comics]]
24	* ''ComicBook/AmericanDreams2021'' was originally published by Atlas Studios before being sold to Band of Bards Comics.
25	* Creator/DCComics:
26	** Throughout its history, DC purchased a number of other comic companies and added their [=IPs=] to its own universe, including Fawcett Comics (the [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] characters), Quality Comics (ComicBook/PlasticMan, ComicBook/{{Blackhawk}} and various others), Creator/CharltonComics (ComicBook/BlueBeetle, ComicBook/TheQuestion etc.), and most recently Creator/{{Wildstorm}} (initially a subsidiary of Creator/ImageComics).
27	** The overarching DC company, or National Comic Publications as it was officially then called, was acquired by the Kinney National Company (then-owners of Creator/WarnerBros) as part of a merger in 1969. It has remained a property of the [[Creator/WarnerBrosDiscovery various Warner conglomerates]] ever since.
28	* ''ComicBook/DeadAt17'' started off as a Viper Comics property before the sequel miniseries were acquired by Creator/ImageComics.
29	* ''ComicBook/LadyDeath'' was originally published by Creator/ChaosComics, then got sold to Creator/CrossGen when Chaos folded, then got acquired by Creator/AvatarPress when ''[=CrossGen=]'' folded, then ended up at Boundless Comics, a new imprint created specifically for Lady Death comics, before finally being reacquired by creator Brian Pulido and his new company, Coffin Comics.
30	* ''ComicBook/{{Madman}}'' was originally self-published, then went to Caliber Comics, then Kitchen Sink Press, then Creator/DarkHorseComics, and finally transferred over to Creator/ImageComics.
31	* Creator/MarvelComics:
32	** In 1994, Marvel bought another comics publisher, Malibu Comics, who had created such comic series as ''ComicBook/TheUltraverse'' and ''ComicBook/MenInBlack''[[note]]Adapted into [[Film/MenInBlack the 1997 film]] [[AdaptationDisplacement that is more widely recognized by audiences]][[/note]] after Malibu went bankrupt that year. Some Ultraverse characters saw some crossovers with Marvel's main universe and vice versa during the 1990s, but this ceased after the year 2000. The Men in Black have not been featured in the Marvel universe and that title has largely remained its own continuity.
33	** Marvel was then bought by Creator/{{Disney}} in 2009.
34	** In 2013 Marvel acquired the rights to the ''ComicBook/{{Miracleman}}'' series, republished the earlier and [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes long-sought-after]] Creator/AlanMoore and Creator/NeilGaiman runs on the title, and gave Gaiman the chance to continue his original planned storylines.
35	* ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird founded Mirage Studios in 1983 in order to publish the stories of the heroes in a half-shell and other comics. While the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would be subject to ChannelHop throughout the years, Eastman and Laird would remain at the helm of their comic adventures and rights over the broader franchise. They would sell the franchise in 2009 to Creator/ParamountGlobal while comics (as one of the terms made in the binding contract to sell TMNT) would continue to be made by Creator/IDWPublishing.
36	* ComicBook/RedSonja was a Creator/MarvelComics character from her creation in 1973 to 1995. The rights to the character have since been acquired by "Red Sonja, LLC". Since 2005, that company has licensed the publication of Sonja's comics stories by Creator/DynamiteComics.
37	* Creator/DarkHorseComics was the independent publisher made famous by such franchises as ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' and ''ComicBook/SinCity''. Since 2022, Dark Horse has become a subsidiary of the Swedish gaming company Embracer Group. The parent company now owns Dark Horse's original characters.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
41	* Creator/{{Disney}} has done this fairly frequently throughout its existence. Here are some specific examples:
42	** Disney bought ''Franchise/TheMuppets'' from The Jim Henson Company in 2004. Only two movies in the franchise are not owned by Disney (at least for now) -- ''Film/TheMuppetsTakeManhattan'' and ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'', which were respectively coproduced by Creator/TriStarPictures and Creator/ColumbiaPictures, both owned by Creator/{{Sony}}.
43	** Disney bought Creator/{{Lucasfilm}} in 2012, and thus now owns both the ''Franchise/StarWars'' and ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' franchises, as well as ''Film/{{Willow}}''. All of them have seen continuation under Disney.
44	** Disney bought out 20th Century Fox (after which it was renamed as Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios) in 2019, and now holds its multitude of franchises such as ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'', ''Franchise/{{Predator}}'', ''Franchise/DieHard'', ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'', ''Film/HomeAlone'', ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'', and ''Franchise/TheSimpsons''.
45	* The ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' series of films have jumped from one company to another, mainly due to the majority of these companies going bankrupt:
46	** ''Film/TheTerminator'': Hemdale (theatrical distribution by Creator/OrionPictures, television distribution by Carolco)
47	** ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'': Creator/CarolcoPictures (theatrical distribution by Creator/TriStarPictures, television distribution by Worldvision)
48	** ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'': C2, a Carolco SpiritualSuccessor. (Creator/WarnerBros distribution in the US, Creator/ColumbiaPictures worldwide)
49	** ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'': Halcyon (same distribution as the previous film)
50	** ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'': [[Creator/SkydanceMedia Skydance Productions]] (Creator/{{Paramount}} distribution)
51	** ''Film/TerminatorDarkFate'': Same production as the previous film, but with the help of James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment (Paramount distribution in the US, Creator/{{Disney}} via Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios worldwide)
52	** This also led to the first two being released on home video by a plethora of companies. The first film's distribution ended up being the wildest, going from Creator/{{HBO}} to Hemdale to Live (under license from Epic) to MGM.
53	** Creator/JamesCameron was contractually obligated to give ''T2'' to Orion to option, but the filmmaker's asking price was so high that the studio had no choice but to pass. It is a fact that Cameron, Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger, and producer Gale Anne Hurd despised Orion's treatment on the first film so much (although it was a hit) that the high asking price has been perceived to have been deliberate so they wouldn't have to work with the studio again. If the situation was different, Orion might have released both films.
54	* The rights to the ''[[Film/XMenFilmSeries X-Men]]'' films were originally bought out by Fox back in the 1990s when Marvel was facing the fear of bankruptcy, and it wasn't until Disney bought Fox itself that the rights to the live-action ''X-Men'' films returned to Marvel some 20 years later; ironically, since Marvel was bought by Disney back in 2009, this technically makes the ''X-Men'' films a Disney property, meaning the franchise changed hands twice.
55	* Creator/BasilRathbone's first outings as Franchise/SherlockHolmes were in A-level pictures for [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios Twentieth Century-Fox]], both set in the Victorian era. When Creator/UniversalStudios took over the series, the tone, setting, and production values changed dramatically, giving birth to the 1940s series known as Film/TheBakerStreetDozen.
56	* 1930s horror films ''Film/IslandOfLostSouls'' and ''Film/MurdersInTheZoo'' were originally produced by [[Creator/{{Paramount}} Paramount Pictures]]. Because of rights acquisitions over the years, they are now commonly grouped in the Franchise/UniversalHorror franchise.
57	* Creator/{{Amazon}} bought the rights of ''Film/{{The Accountant\|2016}}'' to Creator/WarnerBros and have started production of a sequel for a 2025 release.
58	* Creator/{{Netflix}} bought the rights to Creator/RianJohnson's ''Film/KnivesOut'' to Creator/{{Lionsgate}} and have started producing sequel, the first being ''Film/GlassOnion''.
59	[[/folder]]
60
61	[[folder:Literature]]
62	* ''Literature/DigitalDevilStory'' are a series of novels that were written by Aya Nishitani in the 1980s. Creator/{{Atlus}} would adapt the novels into a video game, ''VideoGame/MegamiTensei'', in 1987. In 1992, Atlus would outright buy the rights to the franchise from the author after which the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series would become one of Atlus's {{Cash Cow Franchise}}s.
63	* ''Literature/GuinnessWorldRecords'' was owned by the aptly named Guinness Superlatives for decades. The group was later purchased by beverage company Diageo. In 2001, Gullane Entertainment purchased Guinness PLC, and Gullane itself was bought by Creator/HITEntertainment just one year later. In 2008, HIT's then-parent company, Apax Partners, sold ''Guinness World Records'' to the Jim Pattinson Group of ''Literature/RipleysBelieveItOrNot'' fame.
64	* In 1999, Creator/JKRowling sold the rights to the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' series to Creator/WarnerBros. However, due to the phenomenal popularity of the books, she was able to negotiate an unusual level of creative control, which still restricts what Warners can and can't do with the ''Potter'' franchise.
65	* ''Literature/TheRailwaySeries'' has burned through many different owners, with its television adaptation ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' having a hand in its numerous owners over time. The first twenty-one books were published by Edmund Ward Publishers, which merged with Nicholas Kaye Limited in 1967 to form Kaye & Ward Limited. They were still the owners of the book series until 1997, when The Britt Allcroft Company purchased the rights following the Rev. W. Awdry's death. The Britt Allcroft Company's properties then went to Gullane Entertainment in 2000 after ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndTheMagicRailroad'' [[Main/{{Pun}} derailed]] [[Main/BoxOfficeBomb at the box office]]. Then in 2002, Creator/HITEntertainment purchased Gullane, along with the entire ''Thomas'' franchise (except ''Magic Railroad'', which is owned by Creator/{{Sony}}). Finally, in 2012, Creator/{{Mattel}} bought out HIT Entertainment.
66	* The ''Literature/WinnieThePooh'' children's book series, from which the wider ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'' franchise originates, were originally published in 1926 by Creator/AAMilne who then sold the rights to Stephen Slesinger, Inc. in 1930. That company in turn sold the franchise to Disney in 1966 which would expand into a multitude of animated television series and features. Notably, the original book entered the U.S. public domain in 2022, allowing for the non-Disney-produced horror parody ''Film/WinnieThePoohBloodAndHoney'', but of course, Disney still owns their version.
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
70	* The ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' series was originally created by Creator/SabanEntertainment by way of repurposing some footage from Franchise/SuperSentai. Disney would buy the series as part of a larger sale of Saban and Fox Family Worldwide properties from News Corporation in 2001. In addition, this also prompted a channel hop from Creator/FoxKids to ABC Kids during the airing of ''Series/PowerRangersWildForce''. Creator/SabanBrands, the [[SpiritualSuccessor Successor entity]] of Saban Entertainment, would buy back the Power Rangers series in 2010 from Disney, of which reportedly higher-ups at that company were displeased with the Power Rangers series being part of the Disney company's catalog due to its unfitting nature, thus ushering in the "Neo-Saban" era of the series. In 2018, history repeated, though this time with the franchise being bought out by Creator/{{Hasbro}}.
71	* The rights to ''Franchise/StarTrek'' have changed hands several times through corporate mergers and acquisitions. It started off being owned by Creator/DesiluStudios, which was bought by Creator/{{Paramount}} while [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries the original series]] was still in production. There was later a period in the 2000s and 2010s where the film rights and TV rights were split between respectively Paramount and Creator/{{CBS}} by their mutual parent company National Amusements, which caused legal headaches for licensees like ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' creator Creator/CrypticStudios.
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Music]]
75	* While most of Music/DavidBowie's backlog changed hands thanks to the rights expiring, on a couple of occasions, past albums were outright bought out by his new label:
76	** The rights to ''Music/SpaceOddity'' and ''Music/TheManWhoSoldTheWorld'' were bought out from Creator/MercuryRecords and sold to Creator/RCARecords by manager Tony Defries.
77	** In 2022, Creator/WarnerMusicGroup bought the rights to ''Music/{{Heathen}}'' ''Music/{{Reality}}'', ''Music/TheNextDay'', and ''Music/BlackstarAlbum'' from ColumbiaRecords. The buyout went into effect the following year.
78	* Music/{{Queen\|Band}} bought out their North American contract with Creator/ElektraRecords in 1984, taking their backlog with them. In 1990, said North American rights were eventually handed over to the fledgling Creator/HollywoodRecords, where they remain to this day.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
82	* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' were both created by Creator/{{FASA}}, but after the company went bankrupt in 2001 the rights to both games were acquired by [=WizKids=] (which was founded by a former FASA alumni) and licensed out to [=FanPro=] to continue producing products for both games. Then in 2003, [=WizKids=] was acquired by Topps. After this, employees of [=FanPro=] would go on to create their own company, Catalyst Game Labs, which then acquired the license for ''[=BattleTech=]'' and ''Shadowrun''. Catalyst eventually made a bid to buy ownership of both games from Topps, but this was unsuccessful and so the company continues to license them.
83	* ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' underwent a barely visible but significant transfer; the rights to the setting (but not the rules) were purchased outright by Creator/CrypticStudios when they wanted to use it for an Main/{{MMORPG}}. The rights were then licensed back to Hero Games for the tabletop game. Cryptic were themselves subsequently acquired by Creator/GearboxSoftware.
84	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' was originally published by Creator/{{TSR}}, who suffered some internal power struggles and changes of ownership before eventually going bust and being acquired by Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast, who were in turn later acquired by Creator/{{Hasbro}}. So it's had three different corporate owners, even if older trademarks were sometimes preserved for a while for the sake of customer goodwill.
85	* ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'' is a setting (though it nominally started out as a rule system) that has passed through the hands of a number of publishers, though technically this wasn't a matter of corporate acquisitions. After its original publisher Creator/GameDesignersWorkshop closed down, the rights reverted to designer Marc Miller, who has published a couple of versions and also licensed rights to companies such as Creator/SteveJacksonGames, Quick Link Interactive/RPG Realms Publishing, Comstar Games, and Mongoose Games, who used either their own rule systems or heavily revised versions of the original. The result looks like a tangled history of acquisitions from the outside.
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Toys]]
89	* The first dolls released in the ''Literature/AmericanGirlsCollection'' were made by Germany-based Götz using existing molds from the company that Pleasant Rowland bought the rights to for the Pleasant Company line. The line moved to China for production in the mid 90s, and in 1998 Pleasant Rowland sold the line to toy giant Creator/{{Mattel}}; they took over in 2000 and have owned and manufactured the brand since.
90	* Toys/CabbagePatchKids were first made by Coleco, then by Mattel in the late '80s until 2000. It went into the hands of Play Along Toys during the 2000s, before being taken by Wicked Cool Toys.
91	* Creator/MiltonBradley was a company famous for its board games, such as ''TabletopGame/CandyLand'', ''TabletopGame/{{Yahtzee}}'', and ''TabletopGame/{{Battleship}}''. It became a subsidiary of Creator/{{Hasbro}} in 1984, meaning that most of its franchises still belong to this company.
92	* ''Toys/StretchArmstrong'' was originally produced by Creator/{{Kenner}} from 1976-1980. In 1991, Cap Toys launched a redesigned Stretch Armstrong. Creator/{{Hasbro}} took over the property in 1997, as a result of owning both Kenner and Cap Toys.
93	* WesternAnimation/{{Popples}} were first made by Mattel in the 1980s. In 2001, Toymax got the rights to make them. Six years later, Playmates made their own line of Popples. In 2015, Spin Master made Popples plush dolls and figurines to tie in with the 2015 TV series.
94	* ''Franchise/TrollDolls'' were made by Thomas Dam of Denmark and his company Dam Things in 1959. A few decades later, Creator/DreamworksAnimation would not just get the rights to make adaptations in 2011, but outright buy the franchise in 2013.
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Video Games]]
98	* Creator/{{Atlus}}, the creator of numerous games and game franchises such as ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'', ''VideoGame/DeptHeaven'', ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'', and ''VideoGame/PowerInstinct'' to name a few of these, had cooperated with Index Corporation throughout its history and was formally acquired by them in 2006. In June 2013, Index was found guilty of financial fraud and went into bankruptcy. Sega Sammy bought Atlus from its embattled parent company in September of that same year. Some of these Atlus properties have been incorporated to some degree in some of Sega's franchises, such as ''VideoGame/Persona5'' protagonist Joker's outfit being a DLC apparel for the Custom Hero/Avatar in ''VideoGame/SonicForces''.
99	* The ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' franchise of Westwood Studios fame was originally owned by Virgin Games, who purchased Westwood in 1992, three years before [[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianDawn the first entry of the franchise]]. The studio, along with the franchise, changed hands in 1998 to Creator/ElectronicArts. After Westwood dissolved in 2003, EA continued to own the franchise and make additional entries via various in-house development studios all the way until 2012. In 2020, EA licensed out the first two games to Petroglyph Games, founded by former Westwood staff, for remastering.
100	* ''VideoGame/{{Commandos}}'': Pyro Studios ceased to exist in 2017, and Kalypso Media (publisher of ''VideoGame/{{Tropico}}'') acquired the rights to the ''Commandos'' IP in 2018.
101	* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' and ''VideoGame/SpyroTheDragon'', the former unofficial mascots of the original Platform/PlayStation, have had quite a few owners of them over the years. Though published by Sony Computer Entertainment from 1996-2000, they were both owned by Universal Interactive (a subsidiary of Creator/{{Universal}} focused on the creation and publication of video games). Universal Interactive held onto the [=IPs=] until 2003 when its parent company sold the video game division to Creator/{{Vivendi}}. Vivendi's game division, originally called "Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing" then eventually renamed Vivendi Games, was in turn sold to Creator/{{Activision}} in 2008. Decades later, Creator/ActivisionBlizzard (resulting from a merger with Creator/BlizzardEntertainment) would be acquired by Microsoft. [[{{Irony}} The one-time unofficial mascots of the PlayStation brand are now in the possession of a rival video game console manufacturer]].
102	* ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' and [[VideoGame/Destiny2 its sequel]] were originally co-produced by Creator/{{Activision}} and Creator/{{Bungie}}, before Bungie split from Activision in 2019 over CreativeDifferences, taking the ''Destiny'' franchise with them. Creator/{{Sony}} acquired Bungie and its [=IPs=] in 2022 as part of a greater push towards live-service games. [[{{Irony}} Just as how Microsoft owns the rights to the original PlayStation's unofficial mascots, the company that made]] [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Master Chief]] [[{{Irony}} is now part of Xbox's biggest competitor.]]
103	* The ''Franchise/DoubleDragon'' series of BeatEmUp games was originally made by Technos Japan. Technos Japan went defunct following its bankruptcy in 1996 after which a licensing company, Million Co. Ltd, was formed to hold onto the rights to ''Double Dragon'' and other Technos franchises. In 2015, Creator/ArcSystemWorks bought the franchises from Million Co. Ltd.
104	* The ''Franchise/{{Fallout}}'' franchise was originally owned by Creator/{{Interplay}} and Creator/BlackIsleStudios before Creator/{{Bethesda}} bought the rights to the intellectual property from the former in 2007.
105	* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' franchise: Originally belonging to Creator/EpicGames, in 2014 after the release of ''Gears of War: Judgement'', Microsoft bought the franchise and assigned it to Creator/TheCoalition. This also had the side effect of them being able to use General RA'AM in ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct2013'' as a GuestFighter.
106	* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' was originally owned by Creator/{{Bungie}} before they split from Microsoft, who kept the rights and formed 343 Industries to continue making ''Halo'' games and other media.
107	* The ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' IP was originally owned by Creator/ThreeDRealms and the developer Creator/RemedyEntertainment, before being sold to Creator/RockstarGames in December 2001. ''Max Payne 2'' was developed by Remedy for Rockstar, while ''Max Payne 3'' development took place entirely within the latter, while the former moved on to new original [=IPs=].
108	* ''VideoGame/MetalMax'' was originally owned by Creator/DataEast. After Data East went under, the rights to the series eventually found their way to Kadokawa. Kadokawa would later sell the IP to Creator/{{Cygames}}, as part of the process of divesting its Kadokawa Games studio. The ''Metal Saga'' sub-series exists thanks to a brief period of time when the development team [[ScrewedByTheLawyers was separated from the rights to the "Metal Max" name]].
109	* Creator/{{Microsoft}} in TheNewTens and into TheNewTwenties has bought some prominent video game developers and publishers and by extension the franchises owned by those companies. Here is some elaboration:
110	** Zenimax's acquisition by Microsoft means that all of Zenimax's former properties (including those by Creator/BethesdaSoftworks -- ''Franchise/{{Fallout}}'', ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' -- and Creator/IdSoftware -- ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein}}'') are now Microsoft properties.
111	** Creator/{{Microsoft}} after the purchase of Zenimax also bought Creator/ActivisionBlizzard in 2022 (and completed the transaction in October 2023 after clearing regulatory approval in the United States and various other countries), thus gaining Microsoft ownership of various franchises such as ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'', ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'', ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{War\|craft}}[[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft craft]]''.
112	* Creator/MidwayGames went bankrupt in 2008 and was out for good in 2009, but all of their franchises were bought by other companies:
113	** The ''VideoGame/{{Cruisn}}'' series was partially owned by Creator/{{Nintendo}}, and after Midway's closure, ownership was fully transferred to them.
114	** The ''VideoGame/NBAJam'' series was bought by Creator/ElectronicArts.
115	** ''VideoGame/HydroThunder'' was bought by Creator/{{Microsoft}}.
116	** The rest of the company's assets, including the ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' franchise, were bought by Creator/WarnerBros. Midway Games Chicago became WB Games Chicago first and Creator/NetherrealmStudios later.
117	* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' was originally a property of Creator/{{Compile}}, but Creator/{{Sega}} bought the rights to it in 1998. Compile was still able to work on ''Puyo Puyo'' games until 2001, when it became unable to sustain itself and collapsed, with ''VideoGame/PuyoPop2001'' being the first game made by Sega.
118	* The ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' series was originally co-developed and owned by both Creator/RedEntertainment and Creator/{{Sega}} until the latter bought the ownership rights in 2017.
119	* The ''VideoGame/TwilightSyndrome'' series began its development and publication under Creator/HumanEntertainment, but following HUMAN's bankruptcy in early 2000, the series was passed on to [[Creator/SpikeChunsoft Spike]], who have gone on to produce two more sequels (not counting SpiritualSuccessor ''VideoGame/YuuyamiDooriTankentai'', which was released the previous year). This transition also served as a form of ChannelHop, as the Spike subsidiary in charge of the series was largely staffed by former HUMAN employees.
120	* The ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' series (originally titled ''Harvest Moon'') was created and designed by Pack-In Video (and developed by Amccus) in 1996. They were then bought by Victor Interactive Software the next year in 1997, which itself was purchased by Marvelous in 2003 (which has had multiple names) and been under their ownership since.
121	* The ''VideoGame/TotalWar'' video game series is made by Creator/CreativeAssembly and previously published by EA and Activision in 2002. Creator/{{Sega}} bought out both the franchise and Creative Assembly itself in 2005.
122	* ''VideoGame/WorldHeroes'' is a series of {{Fighting Game}}s originally owned and developed by Creator/{{ADK}}. Creator/{{SNK}} acquired the rights to the franchise in 2003 upon ADK's liquidation.
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:Web Animation]]
126	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' was originally created by Creator/RoosterTeeth in 2013, but both were soon in the hands of Creator/WarnerBros in 2018 after their short-lived merger with Rooster Teeth’s parent company at the time AT&T, and were still kept by WB even after the split and merger with Discovery Inc. During this time RT made a deal with then-sister company Creator/DCComics to make a ComicBookAdaptation of ''RWBY'' all of which culminated in an [[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueXRWBYSuperHeroesAndHuntsmen animated crossover movie]] between both properties. However in March 6th, 2024 Creator/WarnerBrosDiscovery announced the closure of Rooster Teeth with the [[https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/rooster-teeth-shutting-down-warner-bros-discovery-1235931953/amp/ intention]] to sell the ''RWBY'' IP to another company instead of retaining the rights, meaning that this trope would apply again.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Western Animation]]
130	* Creator/HannaBarbera, the maker of various animated series such as ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo'', ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'', ''WesternAnimation/TheJetsons'', ''WesternAnimation/YogiBear'', and ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhost'' to name a few, had been bought by Turner Broadcasting in 1991 for its then-fledgling TV channel Creator/CartoonNetwork. Turner would in turn merge with Warner Bros in 1996, thus making that company the owner of Hanna Barbera's library of content.
131	* Creator/{{Hasbro}}'s Main/MerchandiseDriven cartoons of the '80s (''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'', ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'', etc.) were produced and therefore owned by Creator/SunbowProductions. In 1998, Sony Wonder purchased Sunbow and its catalogue, before selling them to TV-Loonland AG in 2000. Financial troubles for TV-Loonland convinced them to sell the worldwide rights of their Hasbro-toy-themed cartoons to Hasbro themselves in 2008.
132	* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' was initially produced by The Britt Allcroft Company, later renamed Gullane Entertainment. In 2002, Gullane was purchased by Creator/HiTEntertainment, which was itself purchased by Creator/{{Mattel}} in 2012, after a bidding war with Creator/{{Disney}}, Creator/{{Hasbro}}, etc. Both acquisitions resulted in a major {{Retool}} for the show as the new owner [[ExecutiveMeddling asserted their authority]] over the production.
133	[[/folder]]

Context Main / FranchiseOwnershipAcquisition