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[bobafett]

On IGN, about the ESPN deal:

"I read the boards and see the posts people make about how aggressive we are, but this is competition. They could've won, and if we would've lost, we would be on the other side going 'It was great being in the football business'. This is all competition, it's a game, and when ESPN approached us, we looked at it like our brands fit together nicely and came to an agreement. We did not approach them, but it all happened really fast, just over the course of the Christmas break."

More on: http://sports.ign.com/articles/580/580549p1.html

 

[PhatSaqs]

"it's business"

I think MS tried that one once :lol

 

[Fuzzy]

It could be Sega and Take Two's fault that ESPN approached EA (if what he said is true). It's possible that ESPN saw the budget price of the 2K5 games as devaluing their brand. Wasn't that one of the reasons that the NFL gave after the EA deal?

 

[Funky Papa]

nm

 

[Ironclad]

"it's business"

I think MS tried that one once :lol

Yeah, and was slapped in the face by the U.S. government. :lol

 

[Speevy]

Come on Sega let's take a ride, it's a beautiful day.

 

[Ramirez]

I still say if Sega had of gotten the exclusive rights no one would have bitched aside from the real fans of football games But since it's EA we must set our phasers on hate mode.

 

[Solid]

I HATE YOU EA! I WILL NEVER EVER BUY A GAME FROM YOU! SUCK IT! I WILL SPREAD THE EVIL WORD!BABDGAAD!

 

[Cloudy]

We did not approach them

Sure....

 

[Mrbob]

EA is doing these deals for the fans! Hilarious!

Sports gaming will be shit once more in a couple years with all these exclusive deals going down.

 

[Ramirez]

Konie am cry

 

[G4life98]

EA is like the wallmart of videogames.

 

[DMczaf]

Damn, some hateful people up in this thread

"Hate hate hate hate hate!"

 

[Yusaku]

Hah, ESPN approached them? I guess they were tired of promoting EA's games and ignoring the ones with their own name on them.

 

[drohne]

anyone who defends ea's exclusive contract with the nfl is a prima facie douchebag.

i'm tempted to defend their exclusive contract with espn, though. just because it's funny.

 

[Revolver]

It could be Sega and Take Two's fault that ESPN approached EA (if what he said is true). It's possible that ESPN saw the budget price of the 2K5 games as devaluing their brand. Wasn't that one of the reasons that the NFL gave after the EA deal?

You know, that may be true, but where were the worries about devaluing their brand when Konami was making all those crap ESPN games? I guess it's okay to use their brand to sell garbage, just so long as it's $50.

 

[ScientificNinja]

If pretty tired of all the hate and finger-pointing. Like any other business, EA is in the business of making money. It's capitalism at its finest. It's what America stands for. It's one of the things EA does well.

Don't like their games? Don't buy them.

 

[dskillzhtown]

From the first day ESPN and Sega went into business together, Sega didn't take advantage of the license as well as they could have. They had chances, and didn't take them (sponsoring NFL Matchup, exclusive use of NFL2kx for simulating upcoming games). ESPN now looking to be with a more capable and willing partner turns to EA to expand their relationship and EA agreed. IF you haven't noticed ESPN is really being aggressive with their channels other media and online stores. Partnering with EA is just a step in that direction.

What is the problem with that?

 

[ZombieSupaStar]

From the first day ESPN and Sega went into business together, Sega didn't take advantage of the license as well as they could have. They had chances, and didn't take them (sponsoring NFL Matchup, exclusive use of NFL2kx for simulating upcoming games). ESPN now looking to be with a more capable and willing partner turns to EA to expand their relationship and EA agreed. IF you haven't noticed ESPN is really being aggressive with their channels other media and online stores. Partnering with EA is just a step in that direction.

What is the problem with that?

It wasnt sega doing it! it was teh evil EA!

 

[Fuzzy]

You know, that may be true, but where were the worries about devaluing their brand when Konami was making all those crap ESPN games? I guess it's okay to use their brand to sell garbage, just so long as it's $50.

That argument would be valid if ESPN stuck with Konami after the licensing contract had expired, but did they? No.

 

[Mama Smurf]

That line about companies coming to EA is really fucking annoying.

They should drop that shit, the lie is worse than them going after licences as really happened.

 

[Drek]

It's capitalism at its finest. It's what America stands for.

You my friend obviously know shit about what capitalism is supposed to stand for in the U.S.. Its supposed to be everyone set on a level playing field and succeeding by delivering superior quality service or products. Practices that prevent competition, such as MS' anti-trust tactics from a while ago and EA's exclusive license purchasing, prevent the true ideal upon which this company was founded. Rockafeller's monopolies, the very ones that inspired most of the monopoly laws this country now works on, were less a direct attack on competition than what EA is doing now.

Me personally though, I don't much care. Its annoying how EA plays the "they came to us, its just business, and there's no way we'll stop trying to innovate" lines again and again, since its 95% bullshit, but if the shoe was on the other foot the reactions would be mirror images, Take 2 spewing the bullshit and EA's fans crying about it not being fair.

 

[dskillzhtown]

That line about companies coming to EA is really fucking annoying.

They should drop that shit, the lie is worse than them going after licences as really happened.

And what magical inside information do you have that people like me who actually have worked side by side with ESPN don't have?

 

[thorns]

I don't see a problem with EA having an exclusive agreement with ESPN. They're both companies and it is by no means a monopoly, since ESPN isn't the only sports channel around. There are other sports channel that take two could ally with.

However having exclusive rights to player names, team names etc. is just wrong..

 

[GDGF]

Once EA aquires a few good Japanese devs, they are so totally going to decide it's time for their own console. This board is going to explode on that day.

 

[Drinky Crow]

I'd love to blame EA, but the NFL and ESPN brand marketers are just as evil. Let's face it; this was a tripartite collusion of RAW LOVECRAFTIAN VILENESS of a sort even Denis Dyack couldn't inexpertly clone.

 

[EndR]

OMG..
Stop bitching.. it´s is business. People seem to think that companies do stuff "for fun", the bottom line is to make money, first and foremost..

Sheez.. this EA-hate is going to far...*buhuhu EA ate my neighbours..BUIHUU*

EA has been in the biz for a long time and they have played their cards right. They bet on the right stuff and the dollars came in. The grew, and they bought, and they released, and they grew, and they bought... and now EA is the biggest "mainstream" company in the biz.

EA has done everything right so far... lots of companies out there would love to trade places or have the same market impact as EA...

Anyways...
Always fun to read the reaction of people... *popcorn time*

 

[Mama Smurf]

And what magical inside information do you have that people like me who actually have worked side by side with ESPN don't have?

Look, I can accept that someone came to EA, that sort of thing happens, but with everything going on at EA lately, no way did all these companies come to them at once. The NFL, ESPN, that other football league thing I can't remember the name of, IGN heard the NBA rejected an exclusive EA offer...no way did all these companies just happen to come to EA like that.

 

[Lil' Dice]

Remember:

 

[ScientificNinja]

You my friend obviously know shit about what capitalism is supposed to stand for in the U.S.. Its supposed to be everyone set on a level playing field and succeeding by delivering superior quality service or products.

That's just the most naive load of bunkum I've ever heard.

 

[Dsal]

If Take Two gets exclusive rights to MLB I'll be just as pissed. MVP is a promising franchise and I want to be able to play EA's offering as well.

What most of us are pissed about is reduction in competition is bad for the genre in general. Yes there were times in the past where league exclusivity on certain consoles happened, but the result of such arrangements were never better games.

 

[AstroLad]

If Take Two gets exclusive rights to MLB I'll be just as pissed. MVP is a promising franchise and I want to be able to play EA's offering as well.

What most of us are pissed about is reduction in competition is bad for the genre in general.

IAWTP.

 

[dskillzhtown]

Look, I can accept that someone came to EA, that sort of thing happens, but with everything going on at EA lately, no way did all these companies come to them at once. The NFL, ESPN, that other football league thing I can't remember the name of, IGN heard the NBA rejected an exclusive EA offer...no way did all these companies just happen to come to EA like that.

I am just telling you that in THIS situation, ESPN was not happy with Sega as a partner. That was pretty obvious at how much EA was involved with the ESPN brand already. Most likely, ESPN was more attracted to EA after the NFL deal was annouced. As far as the Arena football deal, doesn't the NFL have part ownership in AFL? That would make sense to get your subsidary under the same gaming umbrella. So possibly AFL did come to them.

With the NFL, that seems like a strange deal period. The thing everyone must remember is that it takes 2 to tango. EA couldn't have gotten the rights unless the NFL was willing to give them up. I know for a fact that NFL did negotiate with VC/Sega before the EA deal was announced. Whether that was just to give them a chance before EA bought the rights or was a legit open-market for the rights. But it was interesting that a week after the EA deal was announced, radio spots for EA/Visa/NFL started appearing, so it appears the NFL might have been looking for an exclusive gaming partner as they have with credit cards and apparel.

Either way...for the sports gamer, these are not good developments. I do feel that EA is going to have some serious pressure to put out THE football game now they are the only company with the license. It would be very embarrassing to have the 2nd or 3rd best football game while you are the only company with the NFL license.

 

[Drensch]

I hope he's reading now:

Fuck Ea.

 

[Mama Smurf]

I already said I can accept someone coming to EA, just not everyone at once like this.

If they did it's one hell of a coincidence. Maybe they came to them after EA had happened to mention, in passing, that if an opportunity for an exlusive deal were ever to come up, they might just possibly consider being interested and that their interest (re: money) could perhaps be higher if they were lucky enough for such a thing to come up sooner rather tha later.

 

[iapetus]

Yeah, and was slapped in the face by the U.S. government. :lol

You mean 'lightly tapped on the wrist and asked nicely not to do it again where people could see them if that isn't too much trouble Mister Gates, Sir'. HTH.

 

[Revolver]

That argument would be valid if ESPN stuck with Konami after the licensing contract had expired, but did they? No.

I believe they bailed on Konami for the same reason they've bailed on Sega. Fat wads of cash. I don't have a problem with ESPN signing with EA. It's business and all that. But I find it disingenuous for ESPN to claim fears their brand was being devalued. I think that an argument could be made that the ESPN license had little value in videogames until Sega got it. They went so far as to rebrand their whole sports line with the ESPN name. Could Sega have taken better advantage of the license? No doubt. But the argument ESPN were worried their brand was being devalued loses steam when the deal they signed with EA seems to afford them less ingame exposure than they are currently getting with Sega.

 

[Fantasmo]

It's just business eh? Explain how buying out Ubisoft is better for the industry then, spin-mongers. It's a shame the general public is so business-dumb.

*spits on floor, misses and hits self

 

[Mrbob]

boing

 

[Jonnyram]

Mr.EA, if you are watching:　凸（ーーメ）凸
Oh, and a new Syndicate game plskthx.

 

[Mrbob]

Mr EA is a big fan of GA methinks.

Actually, there are more people from Tiburon that read this board and EA/Madden related threads than you might imagine.

 

[AstroLad]

Mr EA is a big fan of GA methinks.

Actually, there are more people from Tiburon that read this board and EA/Madden related threads than you might imagine.

Obviously he must have missed my Mutant League Thread then. Of course w/ so many licenses now, the people are even less likely to get the Mutant League action they crave. Maybe some Madden palette-swapped AFL vs. Mutant League action?

 

[Tellaerin]

That's just the most naive load of bunkum I've ever heard.

He's not naive; you're jaded.

Are you seriously going to argue that the ideal capitalist society is one in which the markets are dominated by a handful of companies exercising virtual monopolies? Companies so massively bloated with mergers and acquisitions that they can crush potential competitors out of existence with their bulk, using their amassed resources to preemptively destroy them without stooping to actually competing in the marketplace? That's not healthy competition, and while it may be 'good business' for EA, it's not good for consumers or the market as a whole.

 

[Ryudo]

This is just bad for consumers. Whats the matter people dont you buy your games ?

 

[Azih]

That's just the most naive load of bunkum I've ever heard.

It's also the ideal that's shoved into the face of the masses by the business elite. The free market takes care of everything! It promotes competition and forces companies to innovate and deliver superior products and serviceeeees! Privatise everything! It's GOOD!

Edit: Different take: Telephone companies and oil companies were monopolies that were broken up by governments and we're all better off for it.

 

[Hitokage]

That's just the most naive load of bunkum I've ever heard.

You're right, Adam Smith was a little naive. Despite having a wonderful system with the ability to create societal good out of individual interest(or greed), his free market has almost no protection against parties that seek to make it less free or even a command economy outright. Competition is a good check on individual companies, but when companies collude(willingly or not) then it takes revolution-scale action to force change. That is where government and law, as representatives of the people or rather, the consumer public in this case, should come in.

Monopolistic self-preservation is the antithesis of the free market, and it has much more in common with soviet communism than capitalism.

BTW, Re: EA douche...

Market competition allows for the continued coexistence of multiple players, you fucking idiot.

 

[DSN2K]

"We're doing this for our fans."

 

[ScientificNinja]

He's not naive; you're jaded.

Are you seriously going to argue that the ideal capitalist society is one in which the markets are dominated by a handful of companies exercising virtual monopolies?

Of course not. But then again, I'm jaded.

Companies so massively bloated with mergers and acquisitions that they can crush potential competitors out of existence with their bulk, using their amassed resources to preemptively destroy them without stooping to actually competing in the marketplace?

And... is this meant to be a description of EA? You'd be giving them a lot more credit than they deserve.

 

[FitzOfRage]

I already said I can accept someone coming to EA, just not everyone at once like this.

If they did it's one hell of a coincidence. Maybe they came to them after EA had happened to mention, in passing, that if an opportunity for an exlusive deal were ever to come up, they might just possibly consider being interested and that their interest (re: money) could perhaps be higher if they were lucky enough for such a thing to come up sooner rather tha later.

Well at the very least, they said as much for the NFL - they had approcahed the NFL multiple times in the past to try to secure exclusivty, but the league was never interested until last year.

But I could defintely see ESPN wanting a deal with EA, if for no other reason than the fact that they got wind of the NFL deal, and realized they were going to be tied to a football game that was dead in the water (and of course they're always promoting EA's games every place you'd expect them to put Sega's anyway) .

Going by EA's timeline, the wheels were in motion for the NFL deal somewhere around the 2nd quarter of last year (and there definitely was a blip of a rumor to that effect at one point), while the ESPN deal was within the last month or so.

Clearly football trumps the other major league sports here in the US in terms of video game sales, so the value of the ESPN license without football is kind of limited. I don't think any company (including Sega/Take 2) is going to pay as much for the license as Sega did a few years back (whatever that was), knowing they can't make an NFL game.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I am just telling you that in THIS situation, ESPN was not happy with Sega as a partner.

Yeah, after years of Konami raping the brand name, they must have been pissed at Sega/Take-Two restoring it to a respectful level and giving it it's first two million-selling games, in two years. Real shitty partners, those Sega guys.