EA & Take-Two Begin Secret Negotiations
EA & Take-Two Begin Secret Negotiations
August 26, 2008
Now that the Federal Trade Commission has opted not to place any regulatory hurdles in the way of a potential EA-T2 merger, the two publishers will begin meeting behind closed doors.
An filing made by Electronic Arts with the Securities & Exchange Commission late yesterday reads in part:
On August 25, 2008, [EA] and [T2] entered into the confidentiality agreement contemplated by the letter of August 17, 2008 from Strauss Zelnick, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Take-Two to John Riccitiello, Chief Executive Officer of EA, and the letter of August 18 from Mr. Riccitiello to Mr. Zelnick.
The terms of the confidentiality agreement prohibit each of EA and Take-Two from, among other things, publicly disclosing the status or terms of any discussions or negotiations between EA and Take-Two unless EA or Take-Two notifies the other that it is terminating discussions. As a result, EA does not intend to make any further announcements regarding the status of any discussions or negotiations with Take-Two unless and until discussions between EA and Take-Two have been terminated or such parties have entered into a transaction. As previously disclosed, EA now requires due diligence to support any proposal to acquire Take-Two and there can be no assurance that any proposal, negotiations or transaction will result.
Among other things, EA will be looking at T2's three-year game release schedule. Not a tough one to figure out: GTA V, Bioshock 2. A GTA MMO would be a nice surprise...
A PUBLICATION OF THE ECA
SUBSCRIBE
LOGINGamePolitics ShoutBox
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:51pm
DarkSaber: I think he just goes round the internet copy+pasting the same bollocks to get attention.
DarkSaber: I think he just goes round the internet copy+pasting the same bollocks to get attention.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:41pm
Valdearg: @DS: I have to admit, I chuckled when I saw the 4 Feb 2010 on that post.. >.<
Valdearg: @DS: I have to admit, I chuckled when I saw the 4 Feb 2010 on that post.. >.<
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:31pm
DarkSaber: Hm, Bioshock. Not that Zippy likes to beat the dead horse by ranting about it for TWO $&%£ING YEARS!
DarkSaber: Hm, Bioshock. Not that Zippy likes to beat the dead horse by ranting about it for TWO $&%£ING YEARS!
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:30pm
DarkSaber: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.173063-Bioshock-yet-another-zippy-rant
DarkSaber: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.173063-Bioshock-yet-another-zippy-rant
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:20pm
DarkSaber: Although, unsurprisingly, he's just being called an idiot alot and criticised for being as illegible as always.
DarkSaber: Although, unsurprisingly, he's just being called an idiot alot and criticised for being as illegible as always.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:18pm
DarkSaber: Oh good lord, I just found Zippy on The Escapist.
DarkSaber: Oh good lord, I just found Zippy on The Escapist.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:14pm
Valdearg: IE: Male body/Female Mind or Female Body/Male Mind.
Valdearg: IE: Male body/Female Mind or Female Body/Male Mind.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:13pm
Valdearg: @Zip: TG == Transgendered/Transsexual.
Valdearg: @Zip: TG == Transgendered/Transsexual.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:09pm
DarkSaber: Forget it Zippy, it's an abbreviation of a big word and so would be wasted on you
DarkSaber: Forget it Zippy, it's an abbreviation of a big word and so would be wasted on you
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:07pm
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:....TG?
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:....TG?
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:02pm
Valdearg: @DS: Im sure that's what they'd do if it wasn't legal to just tell Gays/TG's to "Screw off," just because they're who they are.
Valdearg: @DS: Im sure that's what they'd do if it wasn't legal to just tell Gays/TG's to "Screw off," just because they're who they are.
Posted 02/09/10 at 02:50pm
DarkSaber: Whoever told him/her/it that is dumb. They should have done like most companies and made-up some bullshit, yet legal, reason for it not getting the job.
DarkSaber: Whoever told him/her/it that is dumb. They should have done like most companies and made-up some bullshit, yet legal, reason for it not getting the job.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:16pm
Andrew Eisen: Shouldn't be. Spirit of anti-discrimination laws would seem to include sexual orientation (and eye color). Plus there's always equal protection and such. Never know until you try.
Andrew Eisen: Shouldn't be. Spirit of anti-discrimination laws would seem to include sexual orientation (and eye color). Plus there's always equal protection and such. Never know until you try.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:10pm
Andrew Eisen: Should have sued (unless that wasn't an option given her financial situation or something). Might have won.
Andrew Eisen: Should have sued (unless that wasn't an option given her financial situation or something). Might have won.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:00pm
Valdearg: Story about a Male to Female TG who was expressly told she wouldn't be given a job because she was TG. Its not the main point of the story, but explicit, perfectly legal discrimination like this exists.
Valdearg: Story about a Male to Female TG who was expressly told she wouldn't be given a job because she was TG. Its not the main point of the story, but explicit, perfectly legal discrimination like this exists.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:53pm
Valdearg: Lol, I don't know. It may very well be legal to do so. Though that might able to fall under the "race" restriction, depending on how that point is argued.
Valdearg: Lol, I don't know. It may very well be legal to do so. Though that might able to fall under the "race" restriction, depending on how that point is argued.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:51pm
Valdearg: I don't think they do have any legal recourse. I'll have to dig around, but I seriously believe that if the law doesn't specifically mention Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity, they can still be discriminated against in those 29 states.
Valdearg: I don't think they do have any legal recourse. I'll have to dig around, but I seriously believe that if the law doesn't specifically mention Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity, they can still be discriminated against in those 29 states.
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
This can only end in pain and suffering.
Chris 'coldacid' Charabaruk <coldacid.net>
IGDA Indie SIG Coordinator, Programmer, Designer
And MASSIVE amounts of DRM that doesn't work right. EA's good for that.
But you know too - look at their pictures... Typical corporate stiffs. They aren't gamers - and that's why this is full of fail.
this is a terrible nightmare and im gonna wake up, PLEASE LET ME WAKE UP!!!!!!
Jesus Jack Jones Thompson told me to do it!
The meetings can't be too secret if you are reporting them here....
About to say, this secret is not quite so secret anymore.
I believe it's secret in the sense that EA isn't going to be making it's latest offer in a press release.
In short it sounds like EA's finally actually begun negotiations rather than insulting offers.
-Gray17
Oh for God's sake... EA should be killed off, slowly but surely, given their neglect of the European consumers as evidenced through the farcicle handling of RockBand over here.
We need more companies like Introversion Software - bring back the rest of the bedroom programmers, and to hell with these monopolising bastards who care only for what brings on the most $s - film licenses... makes me sick to the teeth just thinking about it
Just because a company is successful does not mean it should be killed off, nor does pandering to another market. Take a look at the sheer volume of games that Japan does not export. I'm fairly certain there are a large amount of games that are not exported to NA from Europe as well.
The age of the bedroom programmer is dead. There are massive production costs involved with creating any console game now due to the gaming community's facination with graphics. In addition as gaming ages as a hobby, people demand more complex things of it to the point of a game becoming an interactive movie with multiple permutations of the story-line. This adds to production costs which the "bedroom programmer" just cannot support without significant help. Heck this isn't even acknowledging the problem that is publishing rights.
Also, EA's no longer the biggest fish... Activision-Blizzard is. Just take a moment to think how Rockband's going to suffer in comparison with Guitar Hero. Before the merger, Vivendi owned Universal (the record label). Now Activision-Blizzard owns Universal. This makes it much harder for Rockband to obtain a liscense to use any music by a musician signed with Universal whereas Guitar Hero now has inside access to many more songs via the coporate umbrella.
I understand that EA acquiring T2 would put them back in the big fish position and give them an effective monopoly over sports games however I have many fond memories of games that were not even related to the major leagues. If a company wanted to release a game called "Olympic Hockey" once every four years but devote more time to the development of that game I'd still be happy. Heck, I LOVED Mutant League Football/Hockey and would love to see something akin to that remade. There is only a sports monopoly for so long as people want to think inside their established boxes.
No, GTA MMO is a bad suprise, and only one that I see EA coming up with, then GTA shopping spree, GTA Hospital run, and GTA: Without the Violance Rated E for Everyone.
I am sure they are allowed to say they are in talks and what the limitations are, though they are not allowed to talk about the details of their talks itself.
why am i not suprised that this is the truth you are telling anon? why?
Jesus Jack Jones Thompson told me to do it!
And in Florida, a certain elderly lawyer is wringing his hands with glee.
Oh figs, this is only going to end badly for GTA fans, especally once EA starts putting SuckuRom on everything that Take-Two owns.
EA will kill GTA, hopfully if T2 is bought over the rockstar boys will say 'fuck you!' and leave takin the game engine with them, and simply continue creating GTA under a new name
Fuck EA, fuck them in the eye
I'm all for freedom of ttnet vitamin speech and allowing rent a car game makers to put whatever they want in games, but there's one thing about this app that has me scratching my head. Correct me if I'm wrong, but from araç kiralama the previous article araba kiralama on this I gathered that players can use Google maps in-game to find the other (real-life?) dealers in their area. If this is the case, has travesti anyone considered what's stopping someone from using this app to actually move drugs between hands for reals?
But majority araba kiralama of their outrage araç kiralama stems from what it could DO TO children, not the content itself. Talk to one of these people and you'll find they don't think any books kiralık araba should be banned from children. Mention American Psycho and they talk about kiralık araç the redeeming value of using imagination to construct a story. Reading, no matter what the content, is largely viewed as a consequenceless activity for people of any age. The reason why I mention American Psycho is because of the content itself. Gaming never has and likely never will have any scenes where someone has sex with a severed head. Not gonna happen. Yet despite this, they'll fight tooth and nail to protect their children from two boys kissing in Bully but whatever they read is harmless... yeah.
The entire arguement is kiralık oto based upon a social normality inflicted by luddites who can't figure out the controls for Halo so it's frightening and terrifying and obviously the cause of youth violence on the rise even though, in reality, it's in decline (which is actually a HUGE suprise given minibüs kiralama the economies status). In a perfect world, we would have parents that actually parent. The idea of sales restrictions on media on oto kiralama any form to accomidate parental unwillingness to get involved with their child's life is the real problem to me. Here I am, 32 years old, and being held up at a self-scan rent a car needing to show ID before I can buy a $10 M rated game all because Soccer Momthra can't be bothered to look at the crap Billy Genericallystupidson does in his free time. It's too hard for her, so I have to suffer?
Thanks good job;
Btw, I think Atari and Midway will drop out too, but mostly travesti because these guys have done nothing travesti or little and need to start saving costs. and dizi izle
YES.
Now I don't have to get off my ass for the important shit anymore!
Whats next, ordering pizza from Xbox live?
Wait... I think that sounds like a good idea.
But I think voting should MAKE you get off your ass, and see outside or a second while you go vote. I mean, your picking the president of the United States of America for God's Sake... least you can do is drive down there and punch out a card.