Damn you EA!
 

Does EA buy everything they can or what? First Marvel and now this

Well, i haven't really played sports game since the NES era but i pretty much support anything that gives competition to EA, especially a product that many saw as a superior. Well, what are u going to do if EA buys all the rights to ESPN and the NFL a company is pretty much forced out and atleast Sega got something. I know $24 million isn't much but the way things are going it's probably more than they would a couple of months down the line. EA blows!

goddamn EA. I guess this really is the end of Sega Sports, what was once the King's standard of Sports games, and for the last time last year, proved they were better than Madden. *sigh* This is a sad day for gamer's around thr world. EA has taken total control of the Sports market. May they burn in the lowest region of hell.

Comm'on Sega, put everything you have into Sonic Adventure 3. Otherwise, I think we'll allgive up hope. :cry:

For anyone who remembers the related story:

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=132

This is all so confusing now. Is Visual Concepts still going to make NHL games? I don't want to have to play that absoloute crap EA puts out.

I heard about that. No one can make NFL for 5 years and then 15 years after that they are in it together. It's stupid and I can't believe the NFL would go for that. I am not a fan of football itself but I love the games. For them to limit our options so much and make us pay a higher price that EA charges is BS.

Well, from what I know, Visual Concepts made all of Sega's Sports titles. If so, they're gone to EA. Sega still has an NHL licence, but o team to develop it. My guess is that VC would still develop the titles, but Sega had to give the rights to EA in this deal, so yeah, I'd assume that those bastards have Sega's NHL rights for the simple reason the Sega sold all of their sports assets. Fu*king EA has officially killed sports games. So long NHL, so long Daytona. :cry:

Sorry about the dude. I know how you loved Sega's NHL games. :(

*edit*

On the heels of Take Two's shoring up of the MLBPA agreement, the company is preparing for another coupe. Gamespot is reporting tonight that Sega will be selling its acclaimed [mostly] sports developer, Visual Concepts, to... none other than Take Two.

According to the article, Sega will be parting with Visual Concepts for a paltry $24 million. Why so little for such an esteemed developer? A big part of it is the fact that the company's biggest titles were its NFL games. EA's recent acquisition of everything NFL for console gamedom has apparently lowered the value of VC quite a bit.

"The ESPN Videogames line has not been a key profit driver in the North American market for Sega," Gamespot reported Naoya Tsurumi, CEO of Sega of America, said in a statement. "While Sega recognizes the strength and depth of the ESPN Videogames franchise, we must remain committed to growing content that will help boost revenues across all western territories."

Full details regarding the deal have yet to be announced, but there is a new interesting nugget of information. Sega and Take Two have apparently entered into a new deal that will allow Sega to distribute Take Two titles in Asian countries including Japan. Sega will also bring out arcade versions of VC developed sports titles in Asia.

Read this

http://gc.advancedmn.com/article.php...ents=&preview=

I'm going to kill myself.

Lets see: They screw their employees over, they get exclusive rights to the NFL and ESPN, they ruined Maxis, they ruined Origin, they ruined Westwood, they ruined Bullfrog, they ruined the Goldeneye name...damn they're on a role

Yeah, EA's been doing this since they were established. They really are a bad company. It's not in the game, when your games suck.

Wow, this news sucked. I always figured that Electronic Arts made the best sports games, but NFL 2K5 and NBA 2K5 were just amazing. I never thought I'd see a sports game have better gameplay than any sports game from EA. Sad day, today.

I'm going to fu*king kill myself
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EA Raises Stake In Digital Illusions January 25, 2005

by: Matt Saunderson

Electronic Arts will soon control 58.9% of Digital Illusions' stock.

Electronic Arts today announced that it has completed a deal with the shareholders of Digital Illusions. As a result of the deal EA has gained 3,235,053 shares of Digital Illusions – a 32.0% stake. In addition, EA has acquired an additional 898,264 shares of Digital Illusions – an 8.9% stake – in the market. Combined with the 18.9% stake in Digital Illusions that EA already had, EA now holds 6,044,720 shares in Digital Illusions – a 59.8% stake.

Electronic Arts also holds all 2,329,102 warrants in Digital Illusions. Priced at SEK [Swedish Kronor] 47.23, EA could exercise its warrants, bringing its stake in Digital Illusions up to 67.3%. EA has not declared its intentions on whether or not the company will exercise its warrants.

Electronic Arts has stated that the transaction will be completed on/about Thursday, January 27th, 2005. EA has declared that it reserves the right to acquire additional shares in Digital Illusions in the market.

Digital Illusions, based in Stockholm, Sweeden, was founded in 1992 and currently has offices in New York, USA, and London, UK. The company has over 200 employees and develops games for a variety of platforms. Battlefield 1942 is one of the most well-known games developed by Digital Illusions.
source: Electronic Arts
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People, EA is pulling in more money per year than Nintendo. Things are looking like EA will basically have total control of the industry. They've rooted out all sports markets and it's the biggest market. Now I see why Ninty is staying in bed with EA so much recently. Things are looking like they could cut off half of the GCN's library at any point, yet they are now releasing 5 titles in the next 3 months, so that's not a problem.

I want to kill myself. This industry is going to hell. I guarntee you before the end of this decade it'll be so bad that none of us want any part of it anymore. I knew this would happen someday. It's just happening so fast. We're being eclipsed.

They're also using the fighter from Super Punch Out in Fight Night, and Nintendo's letting put SPO in the game as well.

I'm quite happy that they still haven't touched anything I like (except parts of Ubisoft). :P
It looks like they want to own everything though.

It's amazing that with how much the industry is changing before our eyes, Nintendo is still the only real unchanging staple they've always been. Sure, they're attitude and approach are changing this year, but they're structually the same company they always were. It's kinda amazing. EA is buying out all the smaller developers, Sega is but a fragment of who they were, The Atari we knew is long dead, Namco is alleying with Ninty to protect from takeovers, Microsoft dosen't count since they're the new guys, and Sony just blows with the winds of Pop culture. Nintendo really hasn't changed at all. It adds a sense of security for me somehow. Anywho, just random rambelings. Back on topic.

Poor Little Mac. EA rendered him HORRIBLY. He looks like a deformed freckle kid. I understand why Super Punch Out is in that disc, it just hurts to see it, but I know why it's there. I mean, that EA title looks like a quality title for what it is, but I work with a guy on GCA (Ray Almeda) who used to be an EA programmer. He's told me stories that basically killed my desire to be a professional programmer. They work you 12 hours a day for 7 days a week, you work through Thanksgiving and all Holidays except Christmas, when you're new, you get paid minimum wage, and it takes staying two years with EA before you get Mondays off and 4 years before reciving benifits. When they takeover developers, the old management is replaced with stern EA suits who enforce these practices on the new company. It's hell, and frankly I can't wait for the day the Government slams them down for slave labour practices, but that'll be awhile.

Hell, at this rate there won't be very few places to work unless you move to Japan. This industry really is going to hell. Buy Silicon Knights NIntendo, buy 'em before EA does, because apprently, they have no intention of stopping any time soon. I think they've actually managed to get a worse rep for takeovers than Microsoft now. Their goal is to control the first parties, and they're well on their way.

And that's one of the things that terrifies me, with going into the field.

I won't work for EA though, regardless of how horrible the job market's going to get in a couple years. Really, Sony's driving us down the same road Atari took in the 80's. My Ideal job would be one at Silicon Knights, Retro, Namco, or Nintendo.

And they don't care. When the market blows up, they'll just pull out and sell more computers because gaming isn't their main thing. That's why NIntendo will ride it out. They know it will crash because buisnessmen won't change, and when it does, they'll raise it from the dead and take over. Nintendo lives or dies by their games, and we all know they own't die by them. It'll be the good ole modern days. I look forward to the crash, because it'll teach the industry the lesson they seem to have forgotten, the lesson that the Crash of '83 taught. Meh, that's a ways off anyway.

Go for Retro. Wait til Metroid Evolution is close to release and they need new guys to finsh the game, then apply. You'll have a damn good chance as they'll be at crunch and need extra support, jsut like MP2 ;)

Yeah, but I really like what SK does with their games, and their whole approach as a studio. The only downside? They're a 3rd party. I'd pry end up having to spend years working with what ever garbage Sony spews out next... and I've heard horror stories about how hard PS2 is to develop for, and with PS3 running on 2 highly advanced processors... I'd be more fun to play the new Spyro game ;).

double post for new info
 

Even though it's in my sig, I felt it important to post here.

A group of gamers started this site up in response to ea_spouse's Livejournal.

It's called Gamers against EA, and can be found here: http://www.gamersagainsteagames.com .

The site posts any and all news about EA and their doings.

Is anyone else just getting tired of all this? Because I know I sure as hell am.

What do you mean? Tired of what?

Just all of the "EA is the devil" "Sony is killing Nintendo" type crap. It's annoying as hell to go into every thread here and see stuff about Nintendo failing and the apocolypse of gaming on the horizon.

I agree. I'm getting tired of waking up, coming downstairs, getting on the Drome, only to see every thread in the video game section people crying about the video game industry falling. It's not going anywhere. Maybe your junk is going down, but not everyone else's. It's getting annoying. Take it somewhere else, or keep it to yourself.

The EA thing is more about how they treat their employees, not the doom and gloom of the industry you're so used to me and TMB spewing. It's a real problem, and one that they can easily fix. They work their programers 80 hours a week, with no overtime pay. They don't give them any benefits.

And then they expect them to turn out perfect code.

As someone who's planning on going into the industry after school, this is something that REALLY concerns me. I need to make sure companys like this are treating their employes properly BEFORE I get there, otherwise I'd be better off starting up my own indie dev. house.

Again, this is NOT about *insert generic fanboy angsting here*, this is about a REAL problem that they could EASILY fix, and getting public support. You think Politicly Correct Mom A is gonna buy Little Jonny Madden/NFL 2007 if she knows EA runs their employees into the ground just to get a halfassed product out onto the market? No. Instead, EA will notice the drop in sales, see the movement, and improve their buisness.

The fact still remains that you can't do a damn thing about it. It's up to the programmers going on strike or something drastic like that. EA is a huge company, so they can pretty much do what they want. I don't really see them doing something to better their employees. As for me as a programmer, I really don't care. As long as I can secure a job, I'll work my ass off just to keep it. It's hard enough to find a programming job as it is.

I'm just gonna keep thinking that if EA sees a drop in profits, and is given a reason why they had a drop, they'll reevaluate their policies.

I wouldn't count on it. Don't you think a drop in profits would only make EA work their employees harder? It's like a dictatorship over there or something. Video game designers have always worked hard to meet ends and due dates, anyway, so it's nothing new. The level of intensity for each varies, and EA just takes it to the extreme.

Well, when you're working for a company they buy out, and they crank your hours to 90 a week, I think you'll care. This'll end in a strike or something that'll shut everything down in a few years.

As for me, screw it. I'm going into journalism. This decided it. When crap blows up, I can write about it and be outside of it.

I seriously doubt many parents care about how companies go about their business when they have a screaming 8 year old begging for a new game. The ones that do care are few and far between, and they aren't a big enough group to cause any drop in sales.

And I don't see anyone complaining about the Chinese kids who work in sweatshops for ridiculous amounts of hours for a ridiculously low pay making sneakers.

Another very good point. If people still buy those sneakers when something much worse is happening with their production, than I'm sure EA is fine.

funny... 'cause i went to school with a group of kids where that's ALL they worried about. "omg, you're wearing THOSE shoes! you're going to hell!".

Anyway, i'm not gonna argue with you guys. People need to get some sorta workers union set up in the videogame industry to stop this BS. That's where I stand, and nothin's gonna change that.

EA has just... been bought?

https://www.darkhorizons.com/ea-offi...or-55-billion/