Home Gaming EA Buying Take-Two… People are worried

EA Buying Take-Two… People are worried

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So the rumours are flying about EA Games acquiring Take-Two with or without their consent. People are watching the stocks and it looks like EA Games are snapping up Take-Two’s stock by the barrel load.

So is this a god thing or bad thing for us as gamers?

I am in two minds about it personally, I think EA Games’s new direction and IP is fantastic. They are moving away from the easy franchises and opening themselves up for some new great IP’s (Army of Two, Spore, Tiberium)…

However they do have a track record of shutting up shop when things get bumpy, closing no less than 13 studios since 1998 alone…

So is it good or not that they may ‘save’ Take-Two? I am sitting on the fence on this one. I honestly don’t know.

Click through for the full list of studios that EA closed

  • 1998: Original HQ in San Mateo, California – moved to Redwood City
  • 2000: EA Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland – established in 1996 as part of Origin
  • 2001: Kesmai (known also as GameStorm); acquired in 1999
  • 2001: Bullfrog Productions in Surrey, England – acquired in 1995
  • 2002: EA Seattle in Seattle, Washington – formerly Manley & Associates, acquired in 1996
  • 2003: Westwood Studios in Las Vegas, Nevada – acquired in 1998
  • 2003: EA Pacific (known for a time as Westwood Pacific) in Irvine, California – formerly part of Virgin Interactive, acquired with Westwood in 1998
  • 2004: Origin Systems in Austin, Texas – acquired in 1992
  • 2004: Maxis in Walnut Creek, California – acquired in 1997, moved to Redwood City
  • 2006: DICE Canada in London, Ontario (created Battlefield 2: Special Forces expansion, Battlefield Vietnam, and all BF2 patches). Acquired DICE fully October 2, 2006; closed DICE Canada studio hours later.
  • 2007: EA Japan in Tokyo, Japan – closed due to consolidation; moved under EA Partners model
  • 2007: EA UK in Chertsey, United Kingdom, relocated to Guildford
  • 2007: EA Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. Closed due to failure to meet profit targets.

News: Every Studio EA’s Bought and Closed – ComputerAndVideoGames.com

Last Updated: February 27, 2008

9 Comments

  1. Banana hammock

    February 27, 2008 at 09:22

    Not good, now EA will corner the sports games market. Which means they can peddle any crap they like.

    They may end up owning the IPs but the devs don’t have to stay. So you’ll end up with GTA V made by EA which will probably be crap. And then a new IP from a new studio created by the creators of the GTA franchise.

    So that will be interesting. EA are getting a bit better but i’m not impressed with much of the stuff they have done, including Fifa08.

    Reply

  2. PillsburyDeeBoy

    February 27, 2008 at 10:02

    Well, there’s a good side and a bad side to this story. The upside is John Riccotello (sp), EA’s CEO, stated that they waited until the point when they knew they wouldn’t be messing with GTAIV to strike – which is ammicable.

    Secondly, who did not see this coming? This has been speculation since early 2006, and ever since Bioshock made its splash (and unwittingly announced that it’d be a franchise) and ActiBlizz came into the mix, EA, too, had to reconsolidate.

    Thirdly, post-GTA Take-Two stocks were gonna take a NOSE-DIVE! EA is doing them a favour.

    Now, the problem – and this is fundamental and key – is that if EA eventually picks up all of Take-Two’s stocks, which, seemingly, they will, they own American Sports. As in, a legitimate monopoly. Nothing about that is good. Nothing at all. So, as an anti-trust judge or lawyer overseeing this, I would be particularly interested in this case. For the very same reasons Coca-Cola should never be (and, as of right now, are not) allowed to buy Pepsi, EA should not be allowed to purchase Take-Two.

    I’m not really sure how I feel about this – on onehand, that 60% premium was rather nice tom, but, on the other hand, a monopoly on any segment of the market is unacceptable. Peter Moore’s division is smiling.

    Ooh, ooh, the next set of shares you guys should snap up are Ubisoft and Midway – I see activity rummaging in those parts, too.

    Oh, and June 12th…it all changes 😀

    Reply

  3. SlippyMadFrog

    February 27, 2008 at 10:05

    A company with a monopoly is never a good thing for the consumer. I think Sony should be worried since EA makes crap ports for the PS3. See Skate, NFL08, Orange Box (Valve outsourced to EA), Fight Night Rnd3, ect.

    Reply

  4. SlippyMadFrog

    February 27, 2008 at 10:09

    @ pillsbury

    Did you sell your Xbox360 or something? You where on my friends list but you where more than a month ago last on Live. That would explain your enthusiasm for June 12th 🙂

    Reply

  5. Fox1

    February 27, 2008 at 10:56

    EA hasn’t been making any good themselves recently. Take a lok at the NFS and FIFA. It keeps changing. Instead of churning it out every year, they better concentrate on making good games. I remember seeing NFS Carbon for R149 and FIFA WC Germany 2006 for R199.

    They could learn from Ubisoft.

    Reply

  6. doobiwan

    February 27, 2008 at 11:20

    I really think EA have learned from passed mistakes, I don’t think they would mess with successful business units like Rockstar or exIrrational aka Bioshock dudes. They haven’t as far as Bioware and Pandemic are concerned.

    As for the sports titles, frankly I don’t play any so I don’t care 😉 Games companies need to move away from needing licenses to justify a game. Jawbreaker is a good example.

    Personally I hope it goes through, EA distribution in SA has always been excellent and so has their pricing, Take2’s has been attrocious. (Darkness, Bioshock etc etc)

    Reply

  7. LazySAGamer

    February 27, 2008 at 11:26

    I have to say I really enjoyed FIFA and Tiger Woods this year.

    Also don’t forget that EA also develops and distributes a lot of games, Fifa Street is a lot of fun and so was Tiberium Wars.

    They do have some rubbish as well 😀

    Reply

  8. koldFU5iON

    February 27, 2008 at 11:27

    all I can say is that there’s no cause for concern. and as the article states this is all “rumour”

    Reply

  9. Fox1

    February 27, 2008 at 11:52

    Anybody remember about EA signing a major deal with Lewis Hamilton to front a game for them? They do make huge amounts on the sports games. I bet later on this year when the F1 license at Sony expires they would already have a F1 game waiting.

    Reply

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