Electronic Arts Goes Hostile With Take - Two Offer

[Quad]

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/techn...aketwo-ea.html

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Electronic Arts Inc <ERTS.O> on Thursday launched a hostile offer for rival video game maker Take-Two Interactive Software Inc <TTWO.O> at $26 a share, taking the $2 billion bid directly to stockholders.

"Take-Two, publisher of the popular "Grand Theft Auto" series, last month rejected EA's unsolicited all-cash offer at the same price. The bid represents a 64 percent premium over Take-Two's closing stock price on February 15, the last trading day before EA sent the proposal to the company.

"We believe Take-Two investors will see our tender offer as the best way to maximize the value of their investment in Take-Two," EA Chief Executive John Riccitiello said in a statement."

[greekjgg]

They are acting like Grand Theft Auto is the major interest here, but in reality it is about getting 2k Sports. Now that they renewed their exclusive deal with NFL they can implement the 2k football sports engine into Madden. Their head guy over Madden left the company last month and the new ceo of EA sports used to be the CEO at 2k sports so they can acquire all those sports games alone with GTA.

[Quad]

Originally Posted by greekjgg

They are acting like Grand Theft Auto is the major interest here, but in reality it is about getting 2k Sports. Now that they renewed their exclusive deal with NFL they can implement the 2k football sports engine into Madden. Their head guy over Madden left the company last month and the new ceo of EA sports used to be the CEO at 2k sports so they can acquire all those sports games alone with GTA.

Interesting stuff, thanks.

[Augustine864]

I wish EA would get their MLB license back.

[Copywriter]

Yeah, let's let one company own a monopoly on licensed sports games.

I'm sure that will be in all of our best interests.

[Horhay]

Originally Posted by Copywriter

Yeah, let's let one company own a monopoly on licensed sports games.

I'm sure that will be in all of our best interests.

Yeah thats the worst thing that can happen, EA is good at making most sports games crap! Madden is not that great! NBA Live is totally garbage lets not even talk about FIFA, which is just pretty and thats about it .

[smallvillefan27]

Originally Posted by greekjgg

They are acting like Grand Theft Auto is the major interest here, but in reality it is about getting 2k Sports. Now that they renewed their exclusive deal with NFL they can implement the 2k football sports engine into Madden. Their head guy over Madden left the company last month and the new ceo of EA sports used to be the CEO at 2k sports so they can acquire all those sports games alone with GTA.

Is that confirmed that the former CEO at 2k is now the CEO of EA, or did you just make that up because if what you are saying is true that pretty huge, because Madden has been piece of you know what for the past 3 years, but if they are putting 2k people on the madden job, we are talkin a pretty flippin huge game.

[greekjgg]

Originally Posted by smallvillefan27

Is that confirmed that the former CEO at 2k is now the CEO of EA, or did you just make that up because if what you are saying is true that pretty huge, because Madden has been piece of you know what for the past 3 years, but if they are putting 2k people on the madden job, we are talkin a pretty flippin huge game.

The current ceo of ea sports was incharge of the 360 at M$ and stepped down last year because of all the servicing issues they had with them. This is not speculation, you can google it.

[smallvillefan27]

Originally Posted by greekjgg

The current ceo of ea sports was incharge of the 360 at M$ and stepped down last year because of all the servicing issues they had with them. This is not speculation, you can google it.

i wasnt trying to offend at all, just some people make up stories and i usually dont pay much attention, but when somone talks 2k and sports that usually perks my interest, but now what i dont understand is if the current ceo of EA was at microsoft, how can it be he was the former ceo of 2k?

[greekjgg]

Originally Posted by smallvillefan27

i wasnt trying to offend at all, just some people make up stories and i usually dont pay much attention, but when somone talks 2k and sports that usually perks my interest, but now what i dont understand is if the current ceo of EA was at microsoft, how can it be he was the former ceo of 2k?

He was ceo of 2k prior to running the 360 ship at M$

[kingofgrills]

Originally Posted by smallvillefan27

Is that confirmed that the former CEO at 2k is now the CEO of EA, or did you just make that up because if what you are saying is true that pretty huge, because Madden has been piece of you know what for the past 3 years, but if they are putting 2k people on the madden job, we are talkin a pretty flippin huge game.

Peter Moore, former head of Microsoft's XBox line, used to be the head of SEGA of USA. In that capacity he helped lead the launch of Dreamcast in the US and managed it until SEGA cancelled Dreamcast in 2002. During that period 2K Sports was a compilation of internal development teams of Sega's, and they developed games strictly for Dreamcast until its demise. These games included the NBA 2K and NFK 2K series, which were by developer Visual Concepts and looked and played head and shoulders above EAs offerings (Madden and NBA Live). Other development teams under the 2K sports umbrella brought out the great NHL 2K and MLB 2K series as well.

Interestingly enough, Visual Concepts was formerly a second party developer for EA and worked on some of the better, earlier Madden games in the mid to late '90's. Sega bought them from under EA, and had them develop the competing 2K series of games. Madden has never been the same since then. Partly as a result of this, EA never released a single game on the Dreamcast platform even though it was the first 128 bit "Next Gen" console of its day.

Now, Peter Moore is the President of EA Sports, and he's directly in charge of making EA's sports titles not suck anymore. Guess who he wants to bring on board to help make Madden and NBA Live successful? If EA is successful with this hostile takeover, they will either 1) take control of 2K sports to help improve their sports titles, or 2) squash their sports competition, by having them jump ship or canned. That would not help improve their games.

Under either scenario, EA Sports would win, and we would probably lose as gamers. Given their history, I don't see Visual Concepts and the other 2K Sports development teams successfully integrating into EA. We'd end up losing the awesome NBA 2k series, and that would absolutely crush me.

Although Grand Theft revenue is certainly appealing, it can also be a costly venture given the controversy, class action suits, and fines its generated. I think this is more about bolstering EA's annual revenue generating sports titles. I think we would lose a lot more than would be gained if this goes through, so I definitely want EA to fail in its hostile takeover bid on Take Two.

[dk3dknight]

So he has experience in failure nice...

Dreamcast...
EA Sports...

Those must by nasty steins on his resume.

[Daimyo]

I really don't like EA for buying and destorying some of my favourite developers, such as Origin Systems, Westwood and Bullfrog. :[

[Pouyan]

Originally Posted by greekjgg

They are acting like Grand Theft Auto is the major interest here, but in reality it is about getting 2k Sports. Now that they renewed their exclusive deal with NFL they can implement the 2k football sports engine into Madden. Their head guy over Madden left the company last month and the new ceo of EA sports used to be the CEO at 2k sports so they can acquire all those sports games alone with GTA.

I would kill myself if EA sports took over the 2k series

[dk3dknight]

we need more space / rpgs.

Starts beaming feeds into ea's ceos.

[reiella]

Good news is EA QA and EA Legal will prolly help to keep Take2 from having another ESRB screwup.

[Giyomu]

F*CK EA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!

before mass effect release they acquire bioware,
now before GTA release, they want T2!??

just what? because they don t make profit with their games!? because EA games suck and have no originality!!

that s pissing me off

[smallvillefan27]

Originally Posted by Giyomu

F*CK EA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!

before mass effect release they acquire bioware,
now before GTA release, they want T2!??

just what? because they don t make profit with their games!? because EA games suck and have no originality!!

that s pissing me off

LOL WOW!!!!, you have anger, but i agree i have not been and EA fan ever since next consoles came out, they have really not done well with thiers games on next gen at all

[bleedsblu]

EA is commonly known in the gaming industry as 'The Evil Empire'...

they're motto is : 'if you ca't beat'em, buy 'em.'

The less competition there is for them, the less innovative they have to be in the future,..they'll just continue to put out the same crap every year.

A few studios they've aquired:

Blackbox
Bioware, Pandemic
Jamdat Mobile
Part of Ubisoft
Phenomic
Digital Illutions CE
Criterion Software
Mythic
Headgate Studios
SingShot
Super Computer International


Wanna LONG read straight from spouses of exploited employees of EA, and employees as well...
http://ea-spouse.livejournal.com/

[smallvillefan27]

Originally Posted by bleedsblu

EA is commonly known in the gaming industry as 'The Evil Empire'...



they're motto is : 'if you ca't beat'em, buy 'em.'

The less competition there is for them, the less innovative they have to be in the future,..they'll just continue to put out the same crap every year.

A few studios they've aquired:

Blackbox
Bioware, Pandemic
Jamdat Mobile
Part of Ubisoft
Phenomic
Digital Illutions CE
Criterion Software
Mythic
Headgate Studios
SingShot
Super Computer International


Wanna LONG read straight from spouses of exploited employees of EA, and employees as well...
http://ea-spouse.livejournal.com/

I agree, LOL and its funny that you say that because my friend and i JUST had that conversation, but when we all form a rebelion im Han Solo!!!!!!!