EA buys ESPN License, Takes Huge Dump on Visual Concepts

Have I mentioned lately that EA fucking sucks?

Because they do.

The only sports games I buy are used (with the one recent exception being the PC NHL 2004 I got for Christmas); I wish that everyone else would do the same. EA doesn't need our money if they've got this much, after all, so why not give it to GameStop or EB instead?
 
Looks like EA will become the first video game publisher to be investigated for anti-trust, anti-competitive practices some day (probably not quite yet, but once they make this kind of thing a regular occurance). I mean, this isn't coincidental, they are taking dead aim at Sega and using their pocketbooks to force them out of business.
 
[quote name='Gothic_Walrus']Have I mentioned lately that EA shaq-fuing sucks?

Because they do.

The only sports games I buy are used (with the one recent exception being the PC NHL 2004 I got for Christmas); I wish that everyone else would do the same. EA doesn't need our money if they've got this much, after all, so why not give it to GameStop or EB instead?[/quote]

I agree. There are plenty of parents and casual gamers who don't realize what EA is doing to the market, who will buy the games anyway. So there will be plenty of used ones available. I say to go even further and not buy any new EA games at all, not just the sports titles.
 
It's just like WalMart. Who cares? If Walmart setup a game trade in situation and shaved 35% off the cost of used games would you boycott them in fear of lasing EBgames and Gamestop? Hell No, you'd buy their cheap ass games.
Incidentally, this is old news. EA Sports spent millions advertising on ESPN/ABC and ESPN.com. ESPN never blocked this - b/c this was coming.
 
[quote name='y2jrevolution']Espn NBA 2K series, you will be missed :cry: I hate NBA Live :evil: DIE EA :twisted:[/quote]
SEGA and VC will just go back to making NBA games without the ESPN license, no big deal. And this is great news for Madden fans, since the presentation in that game has been old for the last 3 years. Funny how nobody blames ESPN or the NFL for these deals, they are just as responsible for "killing VC" as EA is.
 
Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! My precious ESPN NHL series!!!!! The exclusive football deal was mildly annoying, but now this is personal. Die EA!

Me-----> :twoguns: :twisted:
 
This is just like Marvel Comics of the 90's, buying up the rights to whatever they could, and look what happened to them....
 
This sucks for me as well. I hated the ESPN presentation and thought the 2k was much better. As for madden i hope it isnt filled with a bunch of espn crap because it will be the first time i wont even consider buying a madden game
 
if you got the cash you spend it. This is just smart business. Every business in the world does this but this just is very public and somewhat effects us. Doesnt hurt me one bit. I can`t wait to have Chris Bermen Sportcenter talking about my plays.
 
[quote name='DocBledsoe']It's just like WalMart. Who cares? If Walmart setup a game trade in situation and shaved 35% off the cost of used games would you boycott them in fear of lasing EBgames and Gamestop? Hell No, you'd buy their cheap ass games.
Incidentally, this is old news. EA Sports spent millions advertising on ESPN/ABC and ESPN.com. ESPN never blocked this - b/c this was coming.[/quote]

1.) Why would ESPN "block" the ads?
2.) Despite what you think, a lot of people would boycott it. Competition in a market is always a good thing. Look at the group of rabid Firefox supporters, or the people like me who try not to set foot in Wal-Mart unless it's absolutely required to do so.

In any case, the analogy doesn't hold water because EA won't be cutting the prices of the games. In fact, chances are that they'll either go back up to $50 or higher, when the next generation of consoles comes out.

[quote name='CrashSpyro123']Maybe this is the end of Madden, with the ESPN license, they don't need the Madden name.[/quote]

Madden ESPN Football 2007?

Sega will still probably make NBA, MLB, and NHL games with the respective licenses (assuming EA doesn't buy those too), but football is the biggest cash cow of the lot...and this could be a very bad sign for the sports market, or for gaming as a whole.
 
[quote name='Chris Dillon']if you got the cash you spend it. This is just smart business. Every business in the world does this but this just is very public and somewhat effects us. Doesnt hurt me one bit. I can`t wait to have Chris Bermen Sportcenter talking about my plays.[/quote]

It does hurt you. EA won't have a real reason to innovate or to radically change their games anymore, because there won't be any competition.
 
[quote name='TJordan522']Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! My precious ESPN NHL series!!!!! The exclusive football deal was mildly annoying, but now this is personal. Die EA!

Me-----> :twoguns: :twisted:
 
[quote name='Gothic_Walrus'][quote name='Chris Dillon']if you got the cash you spend it. This is just smart business. Every business in the world does this but this just is very public and somewhat effects us. Doesnt hurt me one bit. I can`t wait to have Chris Bermen Sportcenter talking about my plays.[/quote]

It does hurt you. EA won't have a real reason to innovate or to radically change their games anymore, because there won't be any competition.[/quote]

Exactly.
 
Can't say you didn't see this coming...EA already had a lot of ESPN announcers in their college games.

Damn...other video game companies had better get on the ball. If EA starts resting on their laurels with their recent success, the other guys will have a chance to prove themselves.

Kinda a while Windows-Linux/OSX thing. Everybody gets all 'boo Microsoft' and tries out alternatives. I guess this is why I'm not as scared as everybody else is. This isn't the first time stuff like this has happened, and it will sort itself out.

And seriously, you claim EA has no reason to innovate...well, again, you're going to say what you will regardless. I much prefer the wait-and-see approach, instead of assembling the lynching crowd immediately.
 
well, as long as they're publishing a handful of good games like Burnout 3, Oddworld and Timesplitters they're going to get some of my money...but I don't have to be happy about it.
 
Sorry Goth, but there is NEVER a reason that you MUST go to Walmart. You choose too. If you liked competition you wouldn't be on this site. You want the lowest price. Seeking the lowest deal skims margins that have to be made up somewhere. Whether it's in the development of the game, the packaging, or the salaries of the oaf that put's them on the shelves.
 
[quote name='Gothic_Walrus'][quote name='CrashSpyro123']Maybe this is the end of Madden, with the ESPN license, they don't need the Madden name.[/quote]

Madden ESPN Football 2007?

Sega will still probably make NBA, MLB, and NHL games with the respective licenses (assuming EA doesn't buy those too), but football is the biggest cash cow of the lot...and this could be a very bad sign for the sports market, or for gaming as a whole.[/quote]

It was a rumor that EA would drop Madden from their NFL games, and this seems like a step in that direction.
 
[quote name='CrashSpyro123']Maybe this is the end of Madden, with the ESPN license, they don't need the Madden name.[/quote]
I was thinking the same thing, hmmm. After buying the NFL name can EA afford to pay Madden and the NFL exclusive rights?

A lot of posters on this site are pissed that EA charges $50 for the new Madden games but a large portion of the $50 price tag goes to Madden and the NFL. Now that EA paid an enormous sum of cash to pay for exclusive rights they can no longer pay for the Madden name. But if they buy the ESPN name they can use it for all the sport games. This is a very smart move for EA sports. They did not do it to steal the name from Sega they did it to use ESPN and the commentaries in all EA sport games.
EA is a very smart company a will continue to do well. This is how business works welcome to the real world kiddies.
 
[quote name='CrashSpyro123']Maybe this is the end of Madden, with the ESPN license, they don't need the Madden name.[/quote]

thats exactly what this is.... i hate ea... must gather thoughts
 
And no, I won't be boycotting EA games. I will continue to do as I have been doing...playing the games, checking the reviews, and buying what I think will be fun. I bought the Sega college basketball and hockey games this year because they had comparable reviews (if not better in some cases) and the price point was excellent. If EA's games are up to par, I'll buy them. If the game quality starts to suffer as a result of all this, then I won't buy it.

They haven't done anything wrong yet. They have merely done what they need to do to improve their stockholders' share, which is the purpose of any business (don't fool yourselves). Maybe it's bad for competition, time will tell. But I refuse to get on the bandwagon and assume the worst.

If things go downhill, well, you can already see the backlash that has thusfar occured. EA will feel the hit if their products aren't up to par. Things will balance themselves out.

Besides...I never really cared if there was an official 'ESPN' label to a game anyway. Sheesh.
 
I wonder - could EA be in breach of contract with this agreement? I bet we'll start seeing some lawsuits on Sega/Take Two's part that their contract with ESPN was terminated unlawfully.

Oh, and to think EA is going after Sega - maybe Sega needs to concentrate on making better games and not letting their sports series dominate their consumer base (they have Japan, remember)...

Jeremy
 
[quote name='spoo'][quote name='CrashSpyro123']Maybe this is the end of Madden, with the ESPN license, they don't need the Madden name.[/quote]
I was thinking the same thing, hmmm. After buying the NFL name can EA afford to pay Madden and the NFL exclusive rights?

A lot of posters on this site are pissed that EA charges $50 for the new Madden games but a large portion of the $50 price tag goes to Madden and the NFL. Now that EA paid an enormous sum of cash to pay for exclusive rights they can no longer pay for the Madden name. But if they buy the ESPN name they can use it for all the sport games. This is a very smart move for EA sports. They did not do it to steal the name from Sega they did it to use ESPN and the commentaries in all EA sport games.
EA is a very smart company a will continue to do well. This is how business works welcome to the real world kiddies.[/quote]

I do think they could keep Madden himself around to serve as a consultant on the game and help provide for a more realistic game. As for the name itself, I wouldn't really care whether it Madden or ESPN as it's about how it plays that would get me to buy it.
 
[quote name='spoo'][quote name='CrashSpyro123']Maybe this is the end of Madden, with the ESPN license, they don't need the Madden name.[/quote]
I was thinking the same thing, hmmm. After buying the NFL name can EA afford to pay Madden and the NFL exclusive rights?

A lot of posters on this site are pissed that EA charges $50 for the new Madden games but a large portion of the $50 price tag goes to Madden and the NFL. Now that EA paid an enormous sum of cash to pay for exclusive rights they can no longer pay for the Madden name. But if they buy the ESPN name they can use it for all the sport games. This is a very smart move for EA sports. They did not do it to steal the name from Sega they did it to use ESPN and the commentaries in all EA sport games.
EA is a very smart company a will continue to do well. This is how business works welcome to the real world kiddies.[/quote]

im pretty sure most of us CAGs' could care less about the business part of it, we just want good games, and more importantly choices between good games of the same type(football). we all know that it will make ea money and that if we were them, we would do the same thing, but it sure as hell doesnt mean we have to like them for doing it.
 
[quote name='jrutz']I wonder - could EA be in breach of contract with this agreement? I bet we'll start seeing some lawsuits on Sega/Take Two's part that their contract with ESPN was terminated unlawfully.

Oh, and to think EA is going after Sega - maybe Sega needs to concentrate on making better games and not letting their sports series dominate their consumer base (they have Japan, remember)...

Jeremy[/quote]

You're an idiot. They have dozens of lawyers that seek out these problems PRIOR to major deals happening.

This argument is insane. EA makes great games. So long as they continue, I will buy them. Else I will not.
 
[quote name='jrutz']I wonder - could EA be in breach of contract with this agreement? I bet we'll start seeing some lawsuits on Sega/Take Two's part that their contract with ESPN was terminated unlawfully.

Oh, and to think EA is going after Sega - maybe Sega needs to concentrate on making better games and not letting their sports series dominate their consumer base (they have Japan, remember)...

Jeremy[/quote]
it said it wouldnt start happening til 2006, which is after the agreement with VC ends. and sega already makes good games, they just dont have the marketing cash that ea does
 
[quote name='Stryffe2004'][quote name='Gothic_Walrus'][quote name='Chris Dillon']if you got the cash you spend it. This is just smart business. Every business in the world does this but this just is very public and somewhat effects us. Doesnt hurt me one bit. I can`t wait to have Chris Bermen Sportcenter talking about my plays.[/quote]

It does hurt you. EA won't have a real reason to innovate or to radically change their games anymore, because there won't be any competition.[/quote]

Exactly.[/quote]

The simple fact is if they start making super shitty sports games no one will buy them. Not even if they have the NFL and ESPN name. Look at sells for the top ten games that sell every year and look at the average rating they get. Cash is louder then competition.
 
[quote name='DocBledsoe'][quote name='jrutz']I wonder - could EA be in breach of contract with this agreement? I bet we'll start seeing some lawsuits on Sega/Take Two's part that their contract with ESPN was terminated unlawfully.

Oh, and to think EA is going after Sega - maybe Sega needs to concentrate on making better games and not letting their sports series dominate their consumer base (they have Japan, remember)...

Jeremy[/quote]

You're an idiot. They have dozens of lawyers that seek out these problems PRIOR to major deals happening.

This argument is insane. EA makes great games. So long as they continue, I will buy them. Else I will not.[/quote]

you mean ea publishes some great games, or they buy up the people that make great games, they DO NOT make great games themselves
 
The funny thing is, that even though everyone says this stuff has all been in the works, it is only coming out now. This is the first year that SEGA was truly a threat to the EA lineup. It was so much of a threat that EA was forced to drop the price of its sports line, even though they said they had planned top do that as well.

If EA was not so dead set on making subpar, me-too games, then it would not be so bad. As it stands, EA has a much creativity as Hollywood.
 
[quote name='cthcky33'][quote name='DocBledsoe'][quote name='jrutz']I wonder - could EA be in breach of contract with this agreement? I bet we'll start seeing some lawsuits on Sega/Take Two's part that their contract with ESPN was terminated unlawfully.

Oh, and to think EA is going after Sega - maybe Sega needs to concentrate on making better games and not letting their sports series dominate their consumer base (they have Japan, remember)...

Jeremy[/quote]

You're an idiot. They have dozens of lawyers that seek out these problems PRIOR to major deals happening.

This argument is insane. EA makes great games. So long as they continue, I will buy them. Else I will not.[/quote]

you mean ea publishes some great games, or they buy up the people that make great games, they DO NOT make great games themselves[/quote]

What the hell ever. I'm pre-ordering Madden 06 tonight after work.
 
The NFL is as much to blame. They threw out the $ and EA went for it. The NBA was smart to say, "Why limit ourselves with one developer? We can make more money with several."

Screw EA!
 
I would be surprised if they got rid of Madden, don't forget MNF is on ABC, which is owed by disney same as ESPN, so expect Madden to still be hanging around, they will probably just add sportscenter before and after games, like 2K5
 
[quote name='studio (Wombat5277)']I would be surprised if they got rid of Madden, don't forget MNF is on ABC, which is owed by disney same as ESPN, so expect Madden to still be hanging around, they will probably just add sportscenter before and after games, like 2K5[/quote]

I'd be shocked. I bet 3 out of 10 customers don't even know the game as EA produced. They want Madden.
 
What a bunch of asswipes.. trying to remove their competition and do everything necessary to produce a better profit. :roll:

I realize we may not like the fact that we'll no longer be able to buy Sega's $20 NFL game and be forced to buy EA's $50 Madden game (if we want to play the newest NFL game that is)... but its good business people. They are not evil, they are not assholes, they're smart, period.
 
Without getting into legalities or anything...this just kinda sucks. I've never really liked EA sports, and i like Sega. This blows. Yes, it both sucks AND blows.
 
[quote name='Cornfedwb']What a bunch of asswipes.. trying to remove their competition and do everything necessary to produce a better profit. :roll:

I realize we may not like the fact that we'll no longer be able to buy Sega's $20 NFL game and be forced to buy EA's $50 Madden game (if we want to play the newest NFL game that is)... but its good business people. They are not evil, they are not assholes, they're smart, period.[/quote] :applause:
 
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