Electronic Arts grabs ESPN license in a 15 year deal

[AF$]

Anyone see this?

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/01/17/news_6116473.html

Wow, it is going to get interesting...

[ZorBrak]

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/580/580398p1.html

I am out of words for these people.

[Beat]

EA has been on a buying rampage on the sports front lately.

This sucks.

[Sigma]

I've just lost even more respect to EA.

[Matthew Williams]

kinda sucks... but who knows, maybe the ESPN license will force EA to actually put in some presentation into their games. Dump the licensed music crap and start doing some flair again. In fact I think this kinda forces them to do that - the Sega ESPN games made them raise the bar.

Makes sense for ESPN at least. Why stick with a company that can't do an NFL game? I'm honestly more neutral about this than I thought.

[dtemplar]

What's going to happen to Madden?

[Weatherman]

Hmm, well, that's pretyt much all the major sports game competition, all owned by EA now. Ahh well, glad I'm not a sports gamer.

[ZorBrak]

It will be called ESPN 2K6 to decieve people. It will suddenly cost 60 dollars which will confuse those who remember 20 dollar ESPN games but when they realize there is nothing else they will buy it...unless they realize what BS this is and boycott EA.

[PaQ]

Hmm, I'm not surprised. The presentation of ESPN does wonders for a game. The only game that this makes it sorta sucky is the NBA one since I dislike Live, but I guess Sega could perhaps pick up ABC license or something, I'd hate to have to only have Live as my only option.

Looks like Sega shouldn't have tried to mess with EA by lowering their price. EA has gone in for the kill. :evil:

[Conekiller]

15 years is a long time.....

[AF$]

I actually don't mind this, as I think EA makes far superior sports games and to me having the ESPN presentation is just a dream come true. I really don't get why people would be upset at EA for getting ESPN, they are just looking to further strengthen their product. The NFL thing is an entirely different matter, but buying a strong license to add presentation and poise to their sports game does not make them a bad or unethical company.

[FinalDragoon]

1 word my friend: Monopoly. They prevented any other future football games from using NFL rosters since EA bought those rights, now they take the ESPN license as well. This makes me hope the next Blitz game turns out to be the "Best football game evar" just to laugh in the face of EA.

[Squall]

It will be called ESPN 2K6 to decieve people...
Well, Sega has the rights to ESPN for one more year; so, next year's EA Sports and Sega sports games will be titled like they are now. But, in 2006, when the 2007 sports games come out, EA Sports will have the ESPN presentation that the Sega games do now.

So, we'll have Madden ESPN NFL 2007, and so forth...

If EA Sports does a good job, and proves that the quality will go up with their sports games, and not down as many have predicted (I don't think that the NFL or ESPN will let EA Sports hurt their brands by releasing mediocre games -- I'd even bet that there's something concerning this in their contracts), it will be a pleasant experience for sports fans... But, if things go the opposite direction, it could be a horrible experience for sports fans. We'll just have to wait and see...

By the way, here's the ESPN article on this business development:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/sportsbusiness/news/story?id=1969067

It will be interesting to see games like Madden NFL, NCAA Football, NBA Live, MVP Baseball, NHL, NASCAR Chase For The Cup, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, etc. all with the ESPN presentation... Let the computer play itself, and it will look & sound like you're watching it on TV!

[AF$]

1 word my friend: Monopoly. They prevented any other future football games from using NFL rosters since EA bought those rights, now they take the ESPN license as well. This makes me hope the next Blitz game turns out to be the "Best football game evar" just to laugh in the face of EA.
I really don't think the monopoly argument holds here. With buying out the rights to the NFL, they would be fundamentally changing how the football games of other companies would have to operate in order to be successful. The gain of the ESPN license by EA does not do this, the SEGA Sports games can go on with a different presentation. Complain all you want about the EA deal with the NFL, but the ESPN license is a completely different matter.

[Strollymonster]

And the capitalistic rampage continues...

So, let's see...NFL? Check. ESPN? Check.

I'm just counting the days until they get NBA and MLB. And, assuming there are enough people that still care, probably the NHL as well.

I'm just glad I don't play sports games now...

[ZorBrak]

I actually don't mind this, as I think EA makes far superior sports games and to me having the ESPN presentation is just a dream come true. I really don't get why people would be upset at EA for getting ESPN, they are just looking to further strengthen their product. The NFL thing is an entirely different matter, but buying a strong license to add presentation and poise to their sports game does not make them a bad or unethical company.
Because this move wasn't much more than another jab at SEGA who they have done nothing but attack since before they even left the console business. They have no interest in games, much less so than any other company, they are all about $$$. Yes SEGA, etc. are about money but they have great creative minds like Yuji Naka who actually enjoy gaming. You don't find that at EA, you find hostile takeover BSers who try to trick people into thinking their crappy "goldeneye" game is a sequel to rare's masterpiece.

[Lord Dalek]

Isn't this an illegal monopoly?

[AF$]

They have no interest in games, much less so than any other company, they are all about $$$.
You have to be kidding. You talk about profit and quality games as if they are mutually exclusive; they are not. Also, I wouldn't paint Sega the martyr so vehemently. Situations like selling out the Dreamcast's last great game, Shenmue II, to the Xbox show they will take the money and run if need be as well. Sega had a chance here to retain the license. For one reason or another, they chose not to match EA's offer. There are two sides to this. I'm not saying EA has never done anything wrong, but some of you are projecting your hate for EA from other instances onto their business move here, which is misguided at best.


Isn't this an illegal monopoly?
If you are talking about them buying the ESPN license, not even close.

[Juu-kuchi]

15 years is a long time..... I'll be surprised if I even care for video games at that time.

[Frank Castle]

I'll be surprised if I even care for video games at that time. Same here.

[Artimus Gigan]

WHO CAN STOP EA?!

SAVE US GODZILLA!!!!

It's a good thing that I don't like sports games, but if EA ever touches big name RPGS and turns them to medicore crap...then...I'll...shake my fist in the air! Ya know if they get too greedy, they could end up causing the company to implode and collapse, thus rendering their control of anything void.

[Punisher]

The good news is, EA now has less money and won't be able to purchase anything else expensive for a while. But when they get enough money, they'll probably just try to buy something like the MLB or NBA. These are dark times for us Sega sports fans.

[Nin-Nin69]

You thought that was a big move on their part, check this out:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4180453.stm

[Artimus Gigan]

Looks like EA might aim for their own console next.just like 3DO...oh wait they imploded because all they released were medicore games after their console went caput...

[Matthew Williams]

Not so fast on EA trying to buy the MLB. :D

http://sports.ign.com/articles/580/580468p1.html

[Artimus Gigan]

They better keep their hands off of Calvinball 2005


or else*shakes fist*

So it looks like the EA sports monopoly has been halted, the only sports things left are Lacross and Cricket

[Tommy Lawson]

You thought that was a big move on their part, check this out:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4180453.stm So they want to challenge Disney, and they think they're going to be huge in a few years. Personally, I think they're going to be bankrupt by 2010, once they realize they can't sustain all the agreements without putting an enormous drain on their profits. And add to that the fact they may not be able to attract the best game designers anymore because of what's been reported to be happening to employees during "crunch time," and EA may be headed for financial trouble. Maybe I'm overthinking this, but usually companies never sign agreements for as long as 15 years. They're usually reluctant for even 5 year deals. I'm thinking Disney/ESPN knows something more about EA than what EA told them, like the real cost of the NFL exclusivity contract, and that's why they agreed to it.

[SSJPabs]

Let me repost what I said in my EA thread. (Glad this got its own thread by the way.)

EA has annual revenues of $3.2 billion and reserves of $2 billion so it will be sometime before it implodes. If they release their own console though, it very well might happen.

AG, I know EA used to be the North American distrubutor for Square Soft, is that still the case with Squeenix? As you care about RPGs it might be important to know...

[Artimus Gigan]

AG, I know EA used to be the North American distrubutor for Square Soft, is that still the case with Squeenix? As you care about RPGs it might be important to know...
All current games are devoid of EA's logo AND name on the boxes and instruction manuels

[ZorBrak]

You have to be kidding. You talk about profit and quality games as if they are mutually exclusive; they are not. Also, I wouldn't paint Sega the martyr so vehemently. Situations like selling out the Dreamcast's last great game, Shenmue II, to the Xbox show they will take the money and run if need be as well. Sega had a chance here to retain the license. For one reason or another, they chose not to match EA's offer. There are two sides to this. I'm not saying EA has never done anything wrong, but some of you are projecting your hate for EA from other instances onto their business move here, which is misguided at best.


If you are talking about them buying the ESPN license, not even close.
Irrelevant. Yes when it comes down to it all companies are out for profit, admit this myself, SEGA being on the verge of death did what they had to to turn profit after DC's demise. The issue is a lack of creativity and competition. They have NO competition now. No one to keep them from jacking online play up to charges. Jacking the price from 50 to 60. Nothing is stopping that. They have no creative minds with any pull inside their company. I do not like them from past instances yes, but they are instances very well connected to the current situation.

[cross blues]

EA has annual revenues of $3.2 billion and reserves of $2 billion so it will be sometime before it implodes.I was hoping for EA to spend too much and get itself in trouble, but with those numbers there isn't much hope. well even so, I'm done with EA. I'm tired of this crap. If they were in business to make games, they wouldn't have to buy out everybody else just to slap those companies' names on their shotty games. And as for the "crunch time" thing, I hope EA gets sued and goes bankrupt.

[AF$]

They have NO competition now. No one to keep them from jacking online play up to charges. Jacking the price from 50 to 60. Nothing is stopping that.
No competition in the realm of what? All I see EA dominating right now is the NFL football market. Last I checked, plenty of other companies can and will take EA on in other genres with other games. Also, you are delusional if you think EA will attempt to hold the industry hostage, so to speak. Your claims of what will happen are fantastical at best. People still speak with their wallets, and surely consumers are smart enough to know when they are being had. In the rare occurrance that EA does try something, it simply won't work (and their failure is obviously what you want anyway, so I'm not quite sure why you won't let them be...).

[EightOh]

God, this makes me sick. I was really looking forward to ESPN College Hoops 2k6, since 2k5 was the best US sports game released all year (and I usually reserve that honor for NCAA Football, which I considered highly disappointing in 2004). I sampled the NFL2k series for the first time this year, and was blown away by the presentation and gameplay. If the franchise mode hadn't been so screwed up, I would have definitely preferred it over Madden (as it was, it was a virtual dead heat in my book).

Now it's all stomped on like a beautiful sandcastle meeting the cruel feet of a wound-up brat.

[ZorBrak]

No competition in the realm of what? All I see EA dominating right now is the NFL football market. Last I checked, plenty of other companies can and will take EA on in other genres with other games. Also, you are delusional if you think EA will attempt to hold the industry hostage, so to speak. Your claims of what will happen are fantastical at best. People still speak with their wallets, and surely consumers are smart enough to know when they are being had. In the rare occurrance that EA does try something, it simply won't work (and their failure is obviously what you want anyway, so I'm not quite sure why you won't let them be...). They ARE holding it hostage, they are aggressively attempting to take over Capcom, Ubi-Soft, Konami, hell they want to move into other industries now too. They have made it so you get one NFL brand or NOTHING. It doesn't matter if people speak with their wallets, people buy stupid crap. That's why reality TV still exists. The more mainstream gaming becomes, the crappier it will become. Look at the 007 games they have made, they have been sub-par at best and too horrendous to even play at worst. To assume the majority of the human race is intelligent enough, or strong willed enough, to completely boycott ESPN NFL 2K6 or whatever they make is giving it too much credit. "A starved town is soon forced to surrender."

In addition, considering the gaming industry is a field I may one day work in I see how many jobs are at stake, as well as the wages that are paid to the few jobs that will remain...word has it EA already treats their employees like crap anyway. Go ahead and support them, you won't find too many people who agree, and I'm not going to be as condescending as to call you delusional for your views but again I ask...where and who are their creative gaming minds? I sure don't see any.

[Tommy Lawson]

Let me repost what I said in my EA thread. (Glad this got its own thread by the way.)

EA has annual revenues of $3.2 billion and reserves of $2 billion so it will be sometime before it implodes. If they release their own console though, it very well might happen.

AG, I know EA used to be the North American distrubutor for Square Soft, is that still the case with Squeenix? As you care about RPGs it might be important to know... Well, I think they may have started down that path, since according to the New York Times the ESPN 15-year deal is reported to have cost somewhere between $750 to $850 million dollars. Also, the NFL exclusivity contract is estimated to be $300 million. That's over a billion dollars just on those two deals alone. The AFL deal may not be as big, but with each agreement, EA's reserves start to diminish.

[Squall]

Well, I think they may have started down that path, since according to the New York Times the ESPN 15-year deal is reported to have cost somewhere between $750 to $850 million dollars. Also, the NFL exclusivity contract is estimated to be $300 million. That's over a billion dollars just on those two deals alone. The AFL deal may not be as big, but with each agreement, EA's reserves start to diminish.
Don't forget, EA also has exclusive rights to NASCAR, Harry Potter, James Bond, and Lord of The Rings to keep paying for, as well as more temporary rights to licences ranging from the NCAA, NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA Tour Golf, etc... EA is either going to spend its way into being a dominant force in the entertainment industry -- or it won't exist at all by 2015...

[TheBaldOneMpls]

Why does everyone think that this means the end of Madden's relationship? Think about it... who does Madden work for? ABC. Who owns ABC? Disney. And what sports network does Disney own?

Exactly.

Besides my disappointment, I'm wondering what this does for the future of NFL Blitz: Playmakers.

[SSJPabs]

A bit more info about EA reserves. $3.2 billion in revenues is just that, revenues not profit. They make about $500 million profit per year (via Kotaku (http://www.kotaku.com/)). There was some musings that I've come across is that if EA goes after more European publishers like Eidos (for their Euro distribution network) that the Euro publishers would merge under either UbiSoft, or maybe forming a new company to battle EA and MS.