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What Would EA Do With 2K Sports?

  05:37 PM - February 24, 2008 by ChaseB
While the Board of Directors of Take-Two have rejected Electronic Arts' estimated $2 billion proposal, sports gamers want to know what would happen if such a merger occurred?

I've been searching for those answers myself, and so here are a few quotes from EA dealing with just that issue.

Christian Nutt of Gamasutra.com asked EA's CEO, John Riccitiello, whether Midnight Club and 2K Sports offer redundancies to EA's Need for Speed franchise and EA Sports:

Quote:
"Frankly we're attracted by those franchises and their studios... while it's too early to talk... I think you're on the wrong trail when you're looking there. These situations can add synergy around corporate and publishing infrastructure," Riccitiello said.
Stephen Totilo of MTV News Multiplayer blog asked EA, would you kill 2K Sports?

Quote:
"Any integration starts with our respect for the teams and people that make great games. Beyond that, it’s too early to discuss plans for managing Take-Two."
So the above is a whole lot of circular talk, but what about moving forward? Will these talks between Take-Two and EA rise up again?

Well Brian Crecente, Managing Editor of Kotaku.com also spoke with John Riccitiello, and talked about that very thing:

Quote:
"When I told Riccitiello about Take-Two's desire to forestall talks until after the GTA launch, perhaps because they want to see how one of their top titles will do before selling, he said that they did their best to hold off on their offer. In fact EA first approached the board in December, but decided to wait on starting serious talks to make sure the rumblings wouldn't create problems for the Rockstar team working to get the game wrapped up. But now, Riccitiello believes, the company is pretty much done and the time to talk is almost past."
So is John Riccitiello bluffing, or is this EA's final time trying to go after Take-Two?

Member Comments
# 1 MMChrisS @ 02/24/08 08:11 PM
I honestly believe that this is a deal that will get done sooner rather than later. I'm sure whatever issues caused Take Two to decline the buyout will be quickly resolved as things move forward. I honestly believe we will see the buyout happen before the end of this year. This is something we were discussing 6 months ago on MM and then DSM, there have been rumblings of this move for awhile. What this means for the future of sports gaming? That's still up in the air...
 
# 2 Brophog @ 02/24/08 08:21 PM
I don't know what it means, but it's probably not something good. What's EA's track record on improving sports once it has an exclusivity deal?

Anyone played a Nascar game lately?

I really wish that wasn't funny.

No, unfortunately, I think few gamers will look forward to EA getting their hands on more sports in a exclusive or near exclusive fashion. It will make for some exciting boards in the coming year, however.
 
# 3 The GIGGAS @ 02/24/08 08:29 PM
You know what they did with ESPN?

...Yeah.
 
# 4 DaoudS @ 02/24/08 08:32 PM
I honestly don't know what EA will do with 2KSports. Maybe they will let it operate and just publish it under EA's name or maybe they will just completely shut it down and eliminate any competition.
 
# 5 The GIGGAS @ 02/24/08 08:33 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaoudS
I honestly don't know what EA will do with 2KSports. Maybe they will let it operate and just publish it under EA's name or maybe they will just completely shut it down and eliminate any competition.
The second one.
 
# 6 DaoudS @ 02/24/08 08:34 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by The GIGGAS
The second one.
*sigh* doesn't this qualify as a monopoly at all?
 
# 7 Brophog @ 02/24/08 08:37 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaoudS
*sigh* doesn't this qualify as a monopoly at all?
Even if it did, who would do anything about it?
 
# 8 TJdaSportsGuy @ 02/24/08 08:38 PM
Afraid not, DaoudS. As long as there are still other companies out there that are just as big as EA making games, the word "monopoly" isn't even in the equation.
 
# 9 Rocky @ 02/24/08 08:39 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by The GIGGAS
You know what they did with ESPN?

...Yeah.
LOL.

Unfortunely this is very well the case. Apparently, EA loves Tiburon and thinks they are doing a great job.

In a perfect world, they would either a)release a VC NFL game aimed at the Hardcore market or b)realizing that Tiburon hasn't gotten the job done on Next Gen quality wise, integrates VC's top talent into Tiburon or completely replaces them. Both are unlikely to happen as Madden still sells a ton of copies regardless.

The most likely scenarios are that either EA sits on VC and Kush and dissolves its talent or sell them to another distributor possibly looking to get into sports gaming.

EA is likely to keep Rockstar in place so hopefully they won't disband what many consider to be one of the most talented studios in the industry. Knowing how protective EA is about their sports brand, I wouldn't count on it however.
 
# 10 The GIGGAS @ 02/24/08 08:43 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocky
LOL.

Unfortunely this is very well the case. Apparently, EA loves Tiburon and thinks they are doing a great job.

In a perfect world, they would either a)release a VC NFL game aimed at the Hardcore market or b)realizing that Tiburon hasn't gotten the job done on Next Gen quality wise, integrates VC's top talent into Tiburon or completely replaces them. Both are unlikely to happen as Madden still sells a ton of copies regardless.

The most likely scenarios are that either EA sits on VC and Kush and dissolves its talent or sell them to another distributor possibly looking to get into sports gaming.

EA is likely to keep Rockstar in place so hopefully they won't disband what many consider to be one of the most talented studios in the industry. Knowing how protective EA is about their sports brand, I wouldn't count on it however.
I would be incredibly surprised if EA sold VC/Kush after buying them.

They are going to sit on VC/Kush to eliminate competition. There is a precedent set.
 
# 11 allBthere @ 02/24/08 08:43 PM
or they could let VC make nfl2k9 and profit from the fans of that series.

I can see someone responding that It wouldn't make sense to release two 'sim' nfl games, but it doesn't have to make sense at first.

If VC was under the EA umbrella, and were allowed to make an NFL game, it would put the heat on triburon or whatever that studio is called

EA wouldn't buy a company just to shut it down, that's a waste of money. Instead they'll try to capitalize on its strengths to make a profit. the question is, what does the EA exec's think of 2k sports ? If they think it's superior to their current sports titles nfl 2k10 might just be renamed to Madden '2010
 
# 12 The GIGGAS @ 02/24/08 08:45 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by allBthere
or they could let VC make nfl2k9 and profit from the fans of that series.

I can see someone responding that It wouldn't make sense to release two 'sim' nfl games, but it doesn't have to make sense at first.

If VC was under the EA umbrella, and were allowed to make an NFL game, it would put the heat on triburon or whatever that studio is called

EA wouldn't buy a company just to shut it down, that's a waste of money. Instead they'll try to capitalize on its strengths to make a profit. the question is, what does the EA exec's think of 2k sports ? If they think it's superior to their current sports titles nfl 2k10 might just be renamed to Madden '2010
It is not a waste of money to eliminate your #1 competitor. It is a waste of money to NOT eliminate your #1 competitor.

Plus, let's be honest here. 2k Sports would be the cherry on top of the deal, but the real cake is GTA. It's a freaking cash cow and EA wants it to increase profit.
 
# 13 Rocky @ 02/24/08 08:50 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by The GIGGAS
I would be incredibly surprised if EA sold VC/Kush after buying them.

They are going to sit on VC/Kush to eliminate competition. There is a precedent set.
I agree. Like I said, EA seems to be pleased with Tiburon efforts and there is some bad blood between VC and EA. I can't see any scenario that they let VC continue in their current state although I hope I am surprised. I would love to see a continuation of the ESPN video games series under EA with VC as developers. That would be spectacular IMO. Even an All Pro-like extension to include basketball and football under EA would be sweet IMO.
 
# 14 DaoudS @ 02/24/08 08:52 PM
ok i am donating money to 2k to BUY EA
 
# 15 allBthere @ 02/24/08 09:01 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by The GIGGAS
It is not a waste of money to eliminate your #1 competitor. It is a waste of money to NOT eliminate your #1 competitor.

Plus, let's be honest here. 2k Sports would be the cherry on top of the deal, but the real cake is GTA. It's a freaking cash cow and EA wants it to increase profit.

why eliminate your own developer?/ if the deal goes through VC is not the 'enemy' any more. they are talented developers and EA exec's would be absolute morons to shut them down. They're not stupid, plus nba2k8 does better than live anyway.

The baseball game is becomming more and more influenced by EA's old game, it won't go anywhere.

The ony question in my mind is allpro, and the larger question if EA will publish multiple gmaes in the same genre, by keeping live, or keeping allpro and letting it use the nfl license...why not let their developement houses compete?

If the execs like VC football more because of the way it plays, it could get renamed to madden
 
# 16 The GIGGAS @ 02/24/08 09:07 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by allBthere
why eliminate your own developer?/ if the deal goes through VC is not the 'enemy' any more. they are talented developers and EA exec's would be absolute morons to shut them down. They're not stupid, plus nba2k8 does better than live anyway.

The baseball game is becomming more and more influenced by EA's old game, it won't go anywhere.

The ony question in my mind is allpro, and the larger question if EA will publish multiple gmaes in the same genre, by keeping live, or keeping allpro and letting it use the nfl license...why not let their developement houses compete?

If the execs like VC football more because of the way it plays, it could get renamed to madden
Execs don't care about how the games play. They care about money. They will keep a few devs here and there, eliminate who doesn't matter, then they'll assign those devs to an EA Sports Big game that no one cares about. Then they'll publish GTA, profit, and call it a day.
 
# 17 MMChrisS @ 02/24/08 09:12 PM
One thing I would be interested in is if the MLB license would transfer in an eventual deal, that's going to be a big thing. As far as EA putting out two games for the same sport, I highly doubt that'll happen. I'm pretty sure EA would use its existing brands and just merge the best talent from 2k in with its studios. Or they might put them to work doing other projects, it really just depends. If I'm not mistaken the Rockstar contract with Take Two was set to expire, not sure if that has changed or not...Either way no doubt the timing of this was to try to capitalize on the cash cow that is Grand Theft Auto
 
# 18 Rocky @ 02/24/08 09:13 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by The GIGGAS
Execs don't care about how the games play. They care about money. They will keep a few devs here and there, eliminate who doesn't matter, then they'll assign those devs to an EA Sports Big game that no one cares about. Then they'll publish GTA, profit, and call it a day.
Exactly. Putting arguably better engines in direct competition with your flagship franchises wouldn't be too smart.

I wouldn't discount the effect that 2K sports had on this deal however. Obviously GTA is the big gorilla here, but I think EA still looks at their sports division as their foundation. Getting rid of the biggest competition that they ever had would be a huge win.
 
# 19 The GIGGAS @ 02/24/08 09:16 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocky
Exactly. Putting arguably better engines in direct competition with your flagship franchises wouldn't be too smart.

I wouldn't discount the effect that 2K sports had on this deal however. Obviously GTA is the big gorilla here, but I think EA still looks at their sports division as their foundation. Getting rid of the biggest competition that they ever had would be a huge win.
That's why I said that it's the cherry on top. But the real substance of the deal is the flow of cash that can be achieved with an AAAA title that is GTA.
 
# 20 Brophog @ 02/24/08 09:23 PM
Totally agree, Giggas. We're talking about this primarily from a sports foundation, because that's why we're all here. But this isn't so much about sports as it is a title like GTA.
 

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