EA just wont quit

[Slim]

http://pc.ign.com/articles/580/580404p1.html

EA Nabs ESPN as 15-Year Exclusive
First the NFL, now the most recognized brand in sports media.
By David Adams
January 17, 2005 - With thundering force, Electronic Arts may have just swung the final punch to sports rival SEGA: the gaming giant just announced it has entered a 15-year exclusive licensing deal with ESPN.



Under the agreement, EA has exclusive video game rights to ESPN-branded print, telecast, and online content -- in addition to other ESPN media properties. The agreement covers all gaming platforms -- consoles, PC, handhelds, and wireless, and will begin in 2006, upon completion of ESPN's current licensing commitments.

The agreement most clearly affects Take Two and SEGA, which jointly publish a series of ESPN-licensed sports titles. The companies are still reeling from EA's announcement last month that it had acquired exclusive video game rights to NFL properties -- a direct challenge to SEGA's ESPN NFL franchise.

Obviously, the challenge is now doubled.

Electronic Arts explains the ESPN agreement as helping gamers: "This relationship was created to benefit consumers who are passionate about sports games," said EA CEO Larry Probst. "EA SPORTS recreates the real life experience fans enjoy while watching or playing their favorite sport; while ESPN programming captures the look, sound and excitement of the sports they follow. Together, we believe we can significantly grow the interactive sports category."

Until recently, EA's sports titles, such as the Madden NFL series, have faced vigorous competition from SEGA's ESPN Videogames brand, which saw success last year with a strong critical reception and prices cut in half.

We'll be back with more on the situation as soon as new details emerge.


The new slogan should be "EA Sports: Resistance Is Futile"...

[Paul Miller]

Yea, EA pisses me off a lot. I can't stand them, and without competition, they have no reason to make good games... not that they make good ones at the moment. Just ship, get their money, move on.

[Strongbad]

I hate them. When they bought the NFL thing it pissed me off because segas version was like 5 times better. I hate EA now.

[crusher]

EA will take over the world. Mark my word.

[Domingo]

EA will take over the world. Mark my word.

WW III.... Microsoft and EA. I can see it now...

[Chaos]

EA will take over the world. Mark my word.

I doubt it.

And now I hate EA

[Ryan]

EA is only doing this b/c there scared of all the competition they had. ESPN Football, NFL2K series. And now that they got all the rights, all others withh perish. And yeah the NFL2k series owned Madden.

[TheStuntman]

personally the nfl2k series was more realistic, on madden 2005 i keep getting fustrated because the computer miraculously catches up to my receiver on a hail mary on all madden

[Ryan]

Madden 2004 is better than 2005.

[Str8Ba11a]

Sega will probably keep making their games. Well i guess not the nfl one. But their basketball and watever other sports games they make will probably still get made. Its terrible though.

[Kosmo Yagkoto]

Yeah I think i am out growing console games anyway.

[Daedric]

Their games aren't great, but I wouldnt call them shit. I own their stock, heh heh.

[youthquake]

EA World Domination through Mind Control: it's in the game.

[Fighter17]

F*** EA

[Winged 2.0]

EA is turning into Microsoft. This shall get interesting. Its really not too big of an issue to me. EA does charge more money for their games but that doesnt matter. The quality of the games, will indeed decrease though. I have always seen EA as a half-assed company that makes short games. But since its a football company rights, I'm not too pissed. If it was Square-Enix they took though....there would be hell to be raised.