@joelface: .....bioshock?....2k sports...we actually need someone other than EA giving us sports games...

Jmontilla2786

@neoraul20: I love that comment,especially when europe and austrailia eats up their games every summer and fall.

Jmontilla2786

why $26 a share when the same thing is gonna happen like 3 weeks ago?

Jmontilla2786

You know what, they can keep doing what they're doing, by the time they take over these developers and publishers their work has gone stale anyway. And when EA takes that stale IP and makes the sequels even worse, that just leaves more for fresh developers to enter the market with GOOD offerings. In theory that is.

Zenshai

@ShinobiFist(PSN-XBL):

EA = eStupid Americans (it's in the game)
Just kidding.

neoraul20

@kitkatu: They did a pretty good job of stealing the Splinter Cell team for Army of Two.

@Zim: Army of Two wasn't delayed for quality reasons, very little has changed since the delay, it was delayed because it was going to get creamed by the other titles.

@Derigor: You have know idea how much respect EA would gain if they fired the senior folks at Rockstar (who are amongst the most hated individuals in the industry, they are completely assholes).

I heard EA is keen on bringing back the Irrational name for the 2K Boston/Australia, a name which the Irrational squad absolutely loathe. Don't expect the GTA DLC anywhere else, M$ is ready to go to court if EA attempts to null the exclusivity agreement.

mindscienceofthemind

Rockstar needs to split off from take-two. don't you think they can probably support themselves?

with rockstar gone, i could really care less what happens to take-two, quite honestly.

although the idea of EA buying out its competition in the sports arena is a truly disturbing trend.

joelface

@thefremen:
I seem to remember this was the same concern when Take-Two bought Rockstar. Rockstar knows the strength of their brand and would be highly unlikely to submit to any agreements without retaining creative control. If they felt they were being pushed by EA to pump out shitty games, I don't doubt they would all threaten to walk. The true capital (that which will continue to pay dividends) are the creative minds behind the games, not the IP themselves.

jgw

So basically by this time next year we'll have a shitty sequel to GTA IV, while second tier titles like R* tennis and Bully are canned. Nice.

thefremen

@jgw:

Thanks for the updated

Systematix

@tehbighead: That was precisely my point. I understand that they're looking to make money off of their investments. I wasn't knocking them or anything. I suppose that the wording was just really, really bad. What I meant to say is that it's a shame that stockholders are simly going to make the best financial decision, rather than basing their decision on what's probably best for gamers. I really don't know much about stocks, but I think that it's a shame that stockholders can't simply see Take-Two as a company who is quite good on its own and will likely benefit stockholders, anyway (but not as quickly).

kubevubin

As I've said before on some other threads here, EA's offer makes sense from a business perspective for both companies. Non-sports video games are a hit-driven business model. EA's annual sports games are a steady cash flow stream that afford them time and flexibility to fund long-term projects. Take-Two, on the other hand, relies so much on big hits to make money that their financials are in a constant state of flux. One miss for them and it's over. Look at last year. Even with Bioshock, they still managed to post a negative income. The next Bioshock isn't until Q4 2009. GTA IV will outsell Bioshock, but also too more time to produce and much, much more money. There is a big difference between revenue and income, and Take-Two's 2K Sports franchise isn't profitable enough to rely on to wait between other big hits.

From an industry perspective, this is greatly troubling. EA has a history of absorbing new IPs and pumping out sequels that don't really innovate. This is a problem that is not unique to EA. Any time you have a successful game that you turn into a franchise, you're going to be loathe to fuck with the fundamental mechanics that made the game a hit in the first place. With very few exceptions, and barring a huge technological leap (eg. GTA II -> GTA III), new iterations of current series are going to look and feel very much the same.

The problem really lies with the fact that both these companies are public. Profitability as a publisher relies on scale, and to achieve sufficient competitive scale, raising capital by going public is oftentimes the only viable route. As a public company, the executives have a duty to maximize shareholder value. These companies are judged by Wall Street's standards: quarter to quarter, year over year return. This is a problem for hit-driven businesses like video games. This is why movie-based hedge funds failed. Video game companies are under immense pressure to show growth; they don't have the luxury of polishing a game until it is perfect like a private company like Valve does.

@Systematix:
You might be thinking of EA Canada, which is in BC and is their largest dev studio, but EA's headquarters are in Redwood City, CA. They were founded in Menlo Park, CA at the offices of Sequoia Capital, a prominent American VC firm.

jgw

I don't like this at all.

dead_red_eyes

Darn. Time to don the asbestos suit and play devil's advocate... How many people have specific grief with EA as opposed to hating them for looking like the evil empire?
I like the games they publish, and some they develop. Need for Speed ranges from great to awful. Burnout was once awesome, and it's still pretty good. Remember the EA stickers all over those hard copies of the Orange Box? I'd rather have a hard copy from EA than a download on Steam.

Releasing mostly done games and charging for DLC to finish it sucks, but it's a sign of the times, not the company, and that hasn't happened to me from EA yet anyway.

It sucks if they just buy up all the games and make them bland and rehashed. Sorry, but that also hasn't happened to me yet. I really only tend to play their racers and those usually keep most of the good parts, then make radical alterations. Yes, I know Criterion isn't EA.

My biggest beef with them is just that I've done a lot of programming, and I've heard they treat their programmers like expendable slaves, then slough them off when they burn out and hire new blood to use up and discard. That REALLY sucks. But the last time I heard that was also about five years ago, and they are far from the only game -no- software company to be accused of that.

On the consumer side, I find their software is usually reliable, good looking, complete, very hard to find glitches, with a clean, consistent, easy to use interface and controls that feel natural and responsive. Again, I mostly do their racers - I've heard some games are the opposite?

fuchikoma

LAME!!!

Xmaster

"Hey, Take-Two, baby. I've got a... tender... offer for ya. Aaaaaaw yeah!"

Bow-chikka-WOW-WOW

BPLlama

@NameYourCharacter:

Well yeah there main building is in californa.... but still its canadian...

Systematix

as a gamer, i hate the idea of ea owning 2k sports. i feel that they won't touch rockstar's stuff, and instead rebrand them as ea rockstar or something

as a stockholder, i'm happy the price has already increased from about 16 to 26 dollars a share because of this - but to come back with the same offer is insulting. i want more - greed ftw!

schlizzag

So is everyone worried about them consuming 2k Sports? I don't see them doing anything with GTA given it's success.

Billy Bob Joe

@UmeShoryu:

Ea has enough sense to fire everyone who works for R*, rerelease the same game 3 more times with more cars (that are already on the disk then you have to pay MS points to unlock them), turn the franchise into a first person shooter, then return to it's roots 5 years later.

I just want to know when EA will merge with Activision to become an unstoppable franchise ruining juggernaught or destruction. Then there will be burger kings and best buy's in Wow, and all whispers will be handled using your characters epic at&t wireless device. Something I feel WoW is missing terribly.

Derigor

Can someone explain how buying the company will decrease its quality? No one knew about Burnout until it was bought out by EA.

NoBullet

Building hotels when there are already 4 houses on all three reds. le sigh.

MasterSauce

i dislike EA as much as the next guy, but kubevubin, investors DO "only care about one thing" and that's... their money. that THEY'VE invested. in hopes of making more money. greedy capitalist pigs, i know - how dare they look out for THEIR best interests.

ea takes over t2 and nothing of value was lost.

tehbighead

Pretty soon EA is gonna try to have their own police force to beat down anyone who stands in their way!!!

jspeed04

I take it nobody here owns stock in T2? I wish I did. I'd totally be selling. EA isn't going to fuck up anybody's franchises and I couldn't give a shit about sports games if I tried. So I'm not worried in the slightest.

Doomstink

Wow, big surprise. *sarcasm*

Honestly, this is just fucking disgusting. I won't repeat my previous statements about EA, as there are obviously idiots who support this company. I really hope that they don't succeed. Sadly, shareholders obviously only care about one thing, and they really have no idea as to what this acquisition could result in, nor do they care.

kubevubin

"Apology Accepted... 'Strauss Zelnick'"...

Papa Midnight

@Systematix: Not Canada. Redwood City, CA

Goatfish

@ggodo: I like "EAssimilated" myself

Kavatar

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

----

Okay I feel I have to think postively. EA buying T2 means that____________________. (YOU FILL IT OUT BECAUSE I'M NOT TO SURE)

goldwings

I really, really, REALLY hate EA. In 5 years this industry is going to be just as vapid as Hollywood.

Gray665

EA is going to murder us all.

RichardChaos

[www.gamedaily.com]

Here we go. EA's one console future.

GuiltyDragon

I actually think that an EA console is almost a certainty at some point. They've allready gone on record saying they would prefer a 1-console future. I'll see if I can find the link.

GuiltyDragon

EA...PLEASE! STOP KILLING THE DIVERSITY OF THE INDUSTRY.

Markyboy

@Systematix: If by Canadian you mean Californian, then you're absolutely correct.

NameYourCharacter

@ShinobiFist(PSN-XBL) :

EA is Canadian... There headquarter is in Vancouver.

Systematix

ad EA console:
Weren´t they talking about this just a couple of days ago? I remember them saying, that they want to wait and evaluate how good the PS3 is going to sell, for them to decide to build their own console.
ad EA software:
When no one cares, so who is buying all thos millions of copies of EA games?
I mean, we´d be forced to buy their (hypotetical) console if we want to be able to play Madden f.i.

Hammer24

@Heliophage: hehe I have to admit, when I first glanced at it ... I had a similar thought.

@Pips: That is what EA is attempting to do, buy the stock straight from the shareholders as a runaround the company management. It's pretty much a textbook hostile takeover.

jayntampa

@Pips: That's what they're trying to do right now. They've said, "fuck the board, it's time to gobble up stock."

hahnchen

I thought a "hostile takeover" was when a company just flat out bought enough stock to have the controlling interest in the company. They haven't done this. Yet.

Pips

They're going to ruin a bunch of franchises this way.
EA needs to quit.

Kayeliminal Antithesis

Great. Now there will be a mediocre GTA released every year instead of a good one every 3 or 4 years.

supercrap

@fecalchaos:
Yes it is. Its been legal for a very long time, and indeed happens all the time.

SpishackCola

rEAsistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

ggodo

Dang, I wonder if the offer will go off the table after GTA is released. Basically I think if they do decide to sell that they make a deal that only T2 can see the profits from GTA and it not be distributed throughout EA.

bambam50

@jayntampa:

A tender offer rather than a tender offer... it sounds much different now, though it didn't sound entirely unlike EA to pretend to be doing them a favor out of the fruit of human kindness.

Ah well. I'll think before I post next time.

Heliophage

@Hammer24:

Not enough people care about EA for them to do that.

Knuckler

Well, if it goes through EA will get more buyout options ... which sorta sucks.

"Warren Jenson, chief financial officer at Electronic Arts, has told an investor's conference that his company is keen to give Take-Two's "diamonds" a chance to shine brighter on the global stage, and that he hopes continued industry creativity will lead to further acquisition opportunities in the future."
[www.gamesindustry.biz]

Sorry if it was posted earlier ... not a regular reader.

osiris83

@Heliophage: lol they mean "tender" as in money, not emotional kindness.

jayntampa

Is this even legal??

fecalchaos

You know what could be a nightmare? If EA overextends itself and has financial difficulties, huge amounts of content could evaporate. In 3 or 4 years, remember that I said this when you're experiencing a software drought. That's the problem with consolidation.

jayntampa

I guess the idea of Activision Blizzard was a bit too intimidating for the industry giant. Unfortunately for Ubisoft, it's probably only a matter of time now. The Katamari ball is rolling, and the more time it has, the larger it gets, and the harder it is to avoid.

"...tender offer..."

A hostile takeover is a hostile takeover. Calling it 'tender' doesn't make it seem any better. Though, the shareholders make their money, and that's what really matters to them.

Heliophage

le rawr.
Man I hate EA.
!!!!

nardsy

@Hammer24:
"When the rumors come true that EA builds their own console"

Uh dude, they did that already...Sort of. It was called the 3DO..That didn't work out too well for them. If they were to do that, they would actually lose money because they wouldn't sell the same game on 20 different platforms anymore.
I don't see it happening.

heretrix

"We are EA. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."

juhok

@Hammer24: How is that scary? If they did make their own system (which I very, very, very strongly doubt) and you didn't like their games, you could just not buy their console. With the added bonus of their games not "polluting" your console of choice.

IMO, they make too much money selling millions of identical games on all existing platforms to make their gamees exclusive to an "EA console" that will cost them a fortune in R&D and shrink their market.

me, my yoke + i

@Hammer24: As popular as sports games are, I don't think they're enough to prop up an entire console.

RawSteelUT

You know when this is going to get REALLY scary?
When the rumors come true that EA builds their own console - making their games property exclusive to it...

Hammer24

@baked ham: Yeah thats very true, Sports games are already in the pooper, this would only drive them ever further down. Oh well, time to whip out the old Techmo Super Bowl and remember the days when being good at a sports videogame didn't require watching ESPN everyday and being one of those douchebags who wears athletic shorts everywhere but doesn't play any sports.

*HEAVY SIGH*

Dauragon C. Mikado

Apparently the only way for EA to produce any good IPs is to absorb the original producer of it and claim it as its own. ):

shintobreak

@NameYourCharacter: Pretty much. Take-Two Interactive is a damned joke. Notice how EA isn't making a move on Konami, whose Winning Eleven/Pro Evolution Soccer series probably hurts them far more than NBA2K. This is because Konami is a profitable business at all times, not just when Metal Gear Solid games come out.

RawSteelUT

"Tender offer" does sound hilarious if you don't know the commercial/financial meaning.

me, my yoke + i

Well, if this goes through, it means no GTA IV for me. Not like it would make any difference.

Grind_Axis

Just by chance I sold some of my EA stock yesterday. I wonder how EA's own shareholders will react to the news of the hostile bid to buy T2?

TOPolk

my first post got eaten, so i'm shortening this one with a simple question: at what point does this become a monopoly? really.

ubisoft is looking like a goldberg opponent: you're next!

jfx316

I don't give a flying monkey poop what's best for the shareholders. What about what's best for the consumers?

WalkOnWater

so tender

Chief2BeaR

So NBA 2k8 was the last installation

*SOB* no more basketball games

KaliKOtt

I like this. I like when a company shows this level of bravado.

Lixie

For some reason EA owning T2 just worries me. Especially since it seems EA have been improving as of late. Allowing huge delays on Mercenaries to make sure it's great, delaying Ao2 to make it better etc. Still im very unsure about them owning quality games like Bioshock or GTA.

I guess part of it is I just don't trust EA to let series die off when they are out of ideas. I can just imagine a Bioshock every 2years. Then again maybe that's a good thing? I wouldn't have to buy them X.x then again maybe it would mean I wouldn't get a great bioshock every 5 years.

Zim

EA just trying to get that paper. It's up to the stockholders now.

Timsobuff74

Thanks EA for making it your mission to destroy gaming.

nintend0nick

@egyptomix: "I guess it was dumb of me to think that Gaming was based on fun rather than milking everything for a massive profit"

The two are not mutually exclusive. Games that'll be bought get made. Fun games get bought. Don't be shitty if some favoured niche of yours isn't catered for.

And to everyone pissed about a potential buyout: T2 is a lame duck, with really only one cash cow. (AWW BUT WHAT ABOUT BIOSHOCK)

Whether it's whole or in pieces, a Take-Two sell-off is almost inevitable because it's not a viable business in its present form. It is, however, a potential goldmine for a company with money and some degree of patience. Like EA.

NameYourCharacter

Looks like I will be cherishing every moment I have with my NHL 2k8 :(

ankylo

@Dauragon C. Mikado: I really don't see how it gets much worse, honestly. They already release barely different versions of their sports titles every year for 60 dollars and millions of people buy them.

baked ham

@2SBs: Rockstar is not going to be effected by this on that level. GTA 5 is totally fine.

The real tragedy would be for sports games.

Dauragon C. Mikado

EA is AMERICA! We take what we want, baby! Not even Canada is Safe.

ShinobiFist(PSN-XBL)

Well instead of getting Grand Theft Auto 5 we can expect getting Crap Theft Auto 5.

2SBs

All your base are belong to us T2... for $26.

Couldn't resist.

Captain_Goober

@Moonshadow101: Above comment

kitkatu

Well, in this instance i think the IPs are what EA are more interested in. Not necessarily the tallent behind them.

kitkatu

I really hope another crash happens a-la atari age. It's what this industry needs.

A lot of massive failure may make companies think twice about delving into gaming. I know that sounds horrible but I'm starting to get really pissed off at how this industry is turning out.

I guess it was dumb of me to think that Gaming was based on fun rather than milking everything for a massive profit. I'm a sap like that I guess.

egyptomix

@NattyIce: What do you think "investing in house" means?

It means hiring more people.

This is just hiring a whole bunch of people. At once. And only half of them actually want it.

Moonshadow101

Remember when studios would develop original content? Everything has turned into "I HAV MONIES, ME BUY U..MAKE SHINEY" instead of buying out ANOTHER STUDIO try investing in house.

NattyIce

E-nough
A-lready.

Rodent

@tei: LOL @ Pic. Reminds me of the times when you might spot a good looking girl dating fat balding middle aged men.

I'm not an EA hater, I love plenty of their games. SSX3 one of my fave sports game but less competition just means worse games being released.

UmeShoryu

Why the hell is there no edit function on this? I really want to change my comment!!!

kitkatu

GTA '09, GTA '11, GTA '12,GTA '13,GTA '14,GTA '15,GTA '16,GTA '17,GTA '18,GTA '19,GTA '20,GTA '21,GTA '22...with new rosters every year. Tommy Versetti's great grand kids.

JoLOveS

@Snappywave:

why would sony get involved? what has take 2 done for them lately besides NOT give them bioshock and giving microsoft exclusive episodic content for gta4 when it hits? (and claiming ps3 development is the reason for the delays). And honestly "back in the day" the only reason gta was exclusive was because the ps2 had such a bigger market share than the competition, and then it became timed exclusives.

demonknightinuyasha

Just when you think you can't hate a company any more this happens. Just.... WOW. EA, you've really outdone yourself this time.

All they'd need to do now is wipe a few races off the face of the planet, build a satelite that kills kittens and destroy the porn industry and they would become the most loathed company in the face of existance.

kitkatu

Ocky docky. Safe for work.

-EA- I buy you for $26
-T2- No, dirty worm.
-EA- Ok, I will try again. What about $26?
-T2- /facepalm

tei

As someone who used to work at Origin can I just say to the fine folks at Take Two, RUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!

Horseflesh

*rolls up a newspaper and hits EA on the nose* NO! BAD!

demonknightinuyasha

I never knew Take-Two's central headquarters was on Hoth.

Mikey G

I really hope EA doesn't succeed. Don't they own enough? Haven't they ruined enough?

Atheist Jew

As a business grad, I love warching the drama that unfolds whenever one company attempts a hostile takeover on another company.

As a gamer, I really hope this ateempt fails. I'm not so worried about GTA, EA has enough sense to leave that series alone and let Rockstar do its own thing but The 2K series needs to make a comeback. No more Maddens or NBA Lives!

UmeShoryu

Hopefully Take 2 shareholders will be smart and realise that the shares will be worth a lot more if they hold on for just over a month.

TheSmiterer

@tei: How is that NSFW? If your boss cans you because you looked at Return of The Jedi Pic then... wow your boss is an asshole.

Balance_In_Life (PSN)

@tei:

What are you talking about that image is completely SFW..

But dear god the Death Star is getting ready to be fired again.

Morberis

EA needs T2, the way Jabba The Hut needs the pricess Leia.

NSFW (star wars 'return of the jedy' image)
[www.pix8.net]

tei

Sony.. where were you?

Snappywave

Wonder what Ken Levine's take on the whole EA buyout of Take Two is. When he was asked about EA and the whole "EA Chicago working on System Shock 3" he didn't really seem to be pleased about that.

Mr-Karate

EA please fuck off, leave Take-Two alone.

DiskoDanyo

EA should just try making its own good games, instead of buying someone else's franchise.

RiotPig

Yeah, that's EA... time to show the real face.
I hope they fail... grrrr

Garo

*salutes Mr. Plunkett`s excellent taste in humor*

:D

Any updates on the lawsuit that was going down too with the shareholders?

Witzbold

...its in the game.

joelface