Interesting that a Canadian bank is financing the deal. We haven't been hit as hard with the credit crunch up here...

If EA does go under, wouldn't that make their licensing deals null and void? Specifically the NFL one where 2K can go back to making the good games.

Why cant EA face it. They are not going to win and nobody likes them.

Just because EA has acquired a line of credit to help buy Take 2, that doesn't mean they'll succeed at doing so. This is just them keeping the issue in the spotlight. There's still FTC competition concerns they have to deal with (not that the FTC has ever really cared about maintaining competition) and when they tried to get a hostile vote at Take 2's last shareholders meeting, they got less than 10% of the votes they needed. Right now Take 2 shareholders don't believe being bought by EA is a good deal, particularly when GTA4 is selling even better than they predicted. Pachter says it's inevitible but he's also been wrong as much as he's been right. Just because gaming sites keep giving him attention doesn't mean it's going to happen.

@Freyar

What I do take offense to is that she doesn’t take the approach of a parent and actually put a limitation on her son’s renting habits.

Huh? As far as I can tell, he wanted to buy it, she was willing to let him rent it and take a look at it. Presumably once she looked at it and decided she didn't like it, it went back to the rental store after the rental time was up and that was that.

Seems fairly reasonable to me, rent it check it out, and at least let her son conclude the story before returning it. The only stupid part is then proceeding to complain about game equivalent to crime movies like the Godfather, or TV shows like the Sopranos.

three things I like most about GTA 4

Doing anything with Packie, especially when he's drunk and ranting on his tangents.

Brucie. I don't need to say anymore.

Lil' Jacob. One love.

BANE XXIII

Minneapolis, MN

I hope they fail somehow.

For a while i thought EA was slowly changing thier ways, but the recent mass effect/spore DRM fiasco has shown them to be back to thier evil ways.

EA taking over T2 would be bad for everyone except shareholders. EA will certainly mess around with GTA to some degree, whilst giving themselves total monopoly over sports games.

$1,000,000,000.00

Why do I picture the CEO of EA with his pinky finger up to his mouth... you know... Dr. Evil style.

@ koichan

I hope they fail to acquire T2. I hope they don't acquire them and then fail.

I agree with Koichan. EA was starting to look better a while back.

Watch out everybody, get ready for the next video game crash of 1983!

@jb

We shall hold the gamers ransom for *dududadadunn* ONE BEELION DOLLARS! /pinky

Won't surprise me if EA caves to political pressure easier.

@JB

That's exactly what I was thinking!

[...] wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptElectronic Arts issued a press release late yesterday announcing that it had secured a line of credit of up to a billion dollars to fund its hostile takeover bid for Take-Two Interactive. The money will come from Morgan Stanley, the Bank of Nova Scotia and several other financial institutions. With GP challenged by balancing his checkbook, we turned to Wedbush-Morgan analyst Michael Pachter (left), who explained what EA is up to: It is something that should be expected.  After [the acquisition of] Pandemic/BioWare, EA has only around $1.7 billion in available cash… The Take-Two deal is around $2.1 billion… so they’re short.  They also probably need around $400 million in available cash for working capital needs, so they need to raise around $800 million to complete the deal.  The extra $200 million is just a cushion, although I suppose it could be construed as how much higher they’re willing to go [for Take-Two]…   The timing isn’t particularly unusual, […] [...]

@Father Time

Actually, I think he knows EA's track record of ruining whatever they acquire, so he was openly advertising he'd be trying to influence the shareholders.

Can we ban the 1gamezone.net spam bot already?

EA Wiki article

@JohnnyD

Also, the Canadian banks are doing a lot better because of how strong the Canadian dollar is versus the American dollar. If the dollar gets stronger by the time the loan is paid off, the Canadian bank will be making tons of money off of this.

Rockstar Games - think about what your product is
By Susan Estrich
Published: May 7 2008, 11:42 PM
Category: Opinion
Topics: Column, Susan Estrich [Campaign Chairman for Dukakis for Pres.]

Rockstar is the name of the company that is rolling wheelbarrows of money to the bank this week, projected to rack up something on the order of $400 million in revenue from the sale of six million copies of its newest video game sensation, Grand Theft Auto IV.

Between a rock and a hard place is more like how I feel, as the mother of a gamer. So far, they only have a few dollars of my money (or Blockbuster does, anyway), since my deal with my son was to rent, not buy. But there’s no question that our reviews of the latest in this infamous series are not in sync.

He thinks it’s a great new game.

I write for a living and still have difficulty finding the words to describe it. Awful doesn’t begin to do it. From what I’ve heard about the ending (and this is one ending I really would love to spoil), you win by becoming the No. 1 mobster, even if your whole family dies in the process. In one version, so I’m told, your cousin and his bride die in a drive-by shooting at their wedding. In another, your girlfriend gets killed. At least this one doesn’t declare war on all Haitians (which an earlier installment in the series did, until the Haitian community complained), but it’s all about killing, including killing police officers.

Imagine gratuitous violence. Then imagine people with more imagination than you or I have making it more graphic and awful than we could ever dream, and you’re on your way to this new blockbuster entertainment.

A mother I know and respect told me some years ago that if you want your kids to follow your rules, don’t make too many of them, make clear that “no” is really “no,” and as for the rest, go for honesty and communication. I remember asking her what was on her “no” list. She said, three: heroin, cigarettes and motorcycles without helmets. I have a few more than that, but having seen the way kids get around their parents’ bans on video games, Internet content, etc., I’ve settled for full disclosure rather than absolute bans in those departments.

Trying to prove that video games cause violence is a bit like trying to prove that pornography causes crime against women or even that the death penalty deters crime. Figures don’t lie, but people do — and they manipulate, as well. Most people who look at porn or play violent video games live normal, healthy lives, but that doesn’t mean they’re good for you. You can find states that have the death penalty and high murder rates, and states that don’t and have much lower murder rates.

I’m old-fashioned enough to believe in personal responsibility. So, when someone commits an act of violence, I blame the person and believe they should be punished, regardless of deterrence. I do not blame the game they played or the Web site they visited. I also believe in the First Amendment, for adults anyway, which means that it’s not the business of government to tell people what has artistic value and what doesn’t. Kids, on the other hand, are another matter. We’re all responsible for them.

It’s not my son I’m really worried about. He does well in school, follows the important rules and generally gets bored with most video games before they get in the way of life. It’s his generation, the generation that he is going to grow up in and live with, full of kids who take this stuff for granted and spend more time with it than with real life, that worries me. It’s the genius that is being distorted into creating more and worse violence. There’s no question that great minds are behind these games, in terms of creative and technological skill, but think of what else they could be doing. And aren’t.

It’s a shame and a waste, and it portends a generation going down the tubes. “Rockstar,” my you-know-what. Shame on you. You owe the kids who worship you — and line your coffers — better than this garbage.

Susan Estrich is a nationally syndicated columnist.

What is that, JT?

Oh, and thanks for spoiling the ending. I already finished it thankfully, but people who haven't may not be happy.

...I'm trying to find some sort of point in Jack's post.

But seeing as how I am a well-adjusted, logical human being, I'm having difficulty.

Also, GTA Vice City did not "declare war on all hatians". In the game there was text that said "Kill all the Hatian dickheads". This was only refering to IN-GAME hatian GANGSTERS. The Hatian community sorta over-reacted. Also, regarding all the tragedy the character Niko Bellic goes through, tragedy is an important part of any story. It makes a person feel for the character, sort of like in The Godfather or The Sopranos.

One last thing to add to JT's post, regarding "we're all responsible for children", this Estrich woman meant that we're all responsible for our OWN children, right? I am not responible for other people's children, DAMNIT!

@ Jack

Off topic slightly arent we?

The guy above me is right it is essentially an interactive crime fable, so of course the cops are gonna show up at some point, but because its interacive you don't always have to shot your way out! (Any way why get so uptight over non real police men?)
Oh please no more spoliers Jacky soon to be disbarred Attorney.

Jack, I refer you to a little story called "Hamlet". It results in the death of almost everyone, and is taught in every school across North America, Europe, and probably other places as well.

Rebuttal?

@ Jack Thompson

Did that have anything to do with the takeover, or do you just like to spam?

@ jack

umm... this is about how ea is acquiring take two. and the relevance of the article pretains to ea's hostile takeover how?


beyond that, why doesn't the mom just take the game away SHE'S THE AUTHORITY FIGURE FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!!!

@Aaron, ditto! Besides, who gives a crap what a Campaign Chairman for epically failed presidential candidate from 20 years ago has to say?

From: Fake Jake Thompson, Gadfly & Esq.

To: Judge "Country" Joe Farina & Company.

RE: Budget Crisis.

Dear Judge Farina:
Can I call you Joe? Anyway, I have ready with gowing concern the budget crisis that you and your hardy band of rag tag Judges and staff are facing. Much like Washington's army in the winter of 1775, things seem desperate.

May I propose one money saving solution? DO AWAY WITH JUDGE DAVA TUNIS.
SHE WON'T GIVE ME A HAEARING. SHE WON'T RESPOND TO MY MOTIONS. SHE WON'T DO ANYTHING I ASK HER.

She recently asked the Supreme Court for more time to review the transcipt of the trial I had before her. HA.

And HA again. She apparently has nothing more to do than sit around her chambers and think of ways to disbar me. ME! Think of it. The conscience of our community. The lone man standing between you and the evil insidious video game industry. Why if it wasn't for me, you'd have PacMen running wild, and a video gamer running for president. Have you seen the "Go Diego Go" Video Game? Horrible. Destructive. And to make matters worse, Diego has some weird incestuous relationship with his cousin Dora the Explorer. And what does Dora do? She promotes beastiality by running around with some monkey. The whole thing is enough to make you sick.

Anyway, you can save a few bucks by shutting Dava down.
Just an idea.

Your pal.

Fake Jake Thompson, Gadfly & Esq.

I'd go so far as to say that Rockstar doesn't owe anybody a damned thing. We buy their products because we enjoy them. The same reason why many people refuse to buy EAs products, as well as their massive greed. Hence their desire to acquire Take Two, they believe that more people would buy from them if the incorporated T2 into their fold. They would effectively get rid of what was left of their competition with this merger and have a monopoly on almost all sports game. They would want to tone down any Rockstar games as well. Customers would eventually have to numb to the changes that would take place.

This is bad for everybody except EA.

@ Jack Thompson.

Wow, You just don't realize it yet do you? You fucking Fail at everything. I got to the part where she said she would gladly spoil the ending and skipped all the way to the end.

Mr. Thompson,
I have no word to describe the anger I'm feeling right now toward you. You wonder why Any self-respecting Adult, and young adults hate you? Have you even begun to comprehend the amount of bad karma you've accumulated over the years?

Pray that you never have to come to Minnesota, Pray that I will never meet you. I'll destroy your arguments word for word, Point for point.

But I doubt you will ever have the Balls for such a Debate.

BANE XXIII

Minneapolis, MN

It's really too bad that John Thompson does what a normal in-"tard"web troll does and just spam his opinion in any thread that even mentions Rockstar, Take Two, or GTA 4.

I really don't see any real statement that I take offense to from Mrs./Ms. Estrich. What I do take offense to is that she doesn't take the approach of a parent and actually put a limitation on her son's renting habits. Provided he is under eighteen, she ought to have free reign to tell Blockbuster and other rental stores with her information that certain ratings are not permitted to be rented. That way, when she is there, she can make the decision to rent or not, while having the system safeguard it in the first place.

-----

I keep having to shake my head at EA. This whole thing would be terrible for the industry. The real question is whether or not this merger was investigated like most are for monopolies.

Look at what monopolization did to pro-wrestling, baseball, and other such things. All of those things went to hell. Do NOT let that happen to games.

Susan Estrich works for FOX News. What else would one expect? I'm glad I only briefly skimmed the article out of habit (when I see JT's posts), so fortunately I didn't fall victim to the GTA IV spoiler (I just bought the game). She's still a cunt for doing that, nonetheless.

Here's the comment board link for the article. I suggest we go to town.

http://featurepage.creators.com/comments/opinion/rockstar.html

As for you Jack, "fuck you" pretty much sums it up.

FUCK the bitch spoiled it.

I like roman f the bitch

[Seems fairly reasonable to me, rent it check it out, and at least let her son conclude the story before returning it. The only stupid part is then proceeding to complain about game equivalent to crime movies like the Godfather, or TV shows like the Sopranos.]

Regardless, as a responsible parent, she ought to be checking the games and it's content prior to letting her son partake in it. By letting him participate, and then complaining about it's content and how it's offensive is a little stupid.

@Freyar

Regardless, as a responsible parent, she ought to be checking the games and it’s content prior to letting her son partake in it. By letting him participate, and then complaining about it’s content and how it’s offensive is a little stupid.

The ironic thing is, she doesn't seem to object to her son having played it. She seems to merely think it shouldn't have been created in the first place.

It's mindless whining about GTA IV, and her son just happens to be medium through which she was exposed to it.

Then she tries to play coy as if, because her son merely rents from Blockbuster, she ain't helping to put all that money in Rockstar's pockets. Even though she's an attorney at the intellectual property law firm, Quinn Emmanuel, and should know a little something -- I hope -- about licensing agreements.

There's nothing worse or more conflicted than a conservative disguised in liberal clothing.

Would be the worst thing that could happen to T2.

Meh, Jack's been googling again. I swear the man spends 6 hours a day googling himself or GTA, and the other six writing legal documents that get returned to him.

He must feel so fulfilled....

@go fish

Hella. Fuck the monopolies!

T2 is a dying breed, lets just hope they can keep that breed alive. It is really up to them. EA is monster that must be stopped.

That was odd, I was trying to give jack the finger through ASCII but it didn't work out that well :-(