EA completes Takeover of DICE

Rhindle

Member
On this day, let us mourn the passing of another talented developer. DAMN YOU GREEDY SWEDISH SHAREHOLDERS, HAVE YOU NO PRIDE?

January 25, 2005 02:00 AM US Eastern Timezone

Electronic Arts Completes Tender Offer for Digital Illusions with 59.8 Percent Ownership

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. & STOCKHOLM, Sweden--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 25, 2005--Electronic Arts EA Holding AB ("EA") today announced the completion of its offer to the shareholders of Digital Illusions CE AB (publ) ("DICE").

The acceptance period for EA's offer to the shareholders of DICE, made on November 15, 2004, expired on January 20. Shareholders with a total of 3,235,053 shares in DICE(1), including Bonnier & Bonnier AB and DICE employees with significant shareholdings, have accepted EA's offer. This corresponds to 32.0% of the outstanding capital and votes in DICE. In addition to the above-mentioned offer, EA has acquired 898,264 shares in the market corresponding to 8.9% of the capital and votes in DICE.

Together with the 18.9% of the outstanding capital and votes already held by EA, EA now holds a total of 6,044,720 shares, a controlling interest representing 59.8% of the outstanding capital and votes in DICE. Additionally, EA holds warrants in DICE priced at SEK 47.23 which, if exercised, would bring EA's holdings to 67.3% of DICE shares. EA has not yet declared its intentions on whether those warrants will be exercised.

EA declares that the conditions for the tender offer have been fulfilled. Payment of the offer price to shareholders who have tendered their shares pursuant to the offer will commence and the transaction will be completed on or about January 27, 2005.
 
anybody who didn't see this coming were kidding themselves..
The DICE board recommended themselves the shareholders to take up the tender offer.

BTW EA earnings call is today, we might get some interesting info, especially on next gen titles and such.
 
nubbe said:
I'm going to vote on the communists next time. Hope they make public traded companies illegal!

We should both write to Persson and demand government funded/owned developers. Act now or the dirty capitalists will take over! ;)
 
Shard said:
It was inevitable.
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We need Neo :(
 
thorns said:
anybody who didn't see this coming were kidding themselves..
The DICE board recommended themselves the shareholders to take up the tender offer.

BTW EA earnings call is today, we might get some interesting info, especially on next gen titles and such.

Swwet. Maybe EA will confirm the launch games for the Xbox 2.
 
mj1108 said:
Instead we got a Super EA Tuesday announcement.
I guess they realized that Take Two already took Monopoly Monday this week. :lol
 
I wonder if we see mass exodus of developers at DICE, some people obviously didn't want to sell for sure. Forcing the deal is sure not going to make EA appear like a loving parent. Those Swedes get tons of vacations and time offs for variety of reasons, I wonder what working under the EA culture will do to the morale of DICE employees. Time will tell.
 
Fafalada said:
So does this confirm the next RaillSport challenge will run at 20-30fps? :P


Gek54 said:
Just like how Burnout3 was choppy after EA took over? :rolleyes

i think the joke was that rsc3 would be 30 fps now, because if it were to be coming, it'd be from a team at MS, no longer DICE...

i'm sure the rsc team is busy cranking away at a next gen racer now, lets just hope ea and a multiplatform approach doesnt hurt em much :(
 
The old RSC2-team (Rallisport games were made by different teams, just a few people moved up from Gothenburg for RSC2) is not working on a racing game. At least not from what I've heard, but naturally they are reorganizing a lot. There might still be a racer coming.
 
This is the second time DICE sells out. First time was when they let down their Amiga fans when they decided not to support the Amiga anymore in the early 90'ies.
 
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