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PC Games (Games) Businesses

Electronic Arts Offers $2B For Take Two 173

Posted by kdawson from the something-in-the-air dept.
quanticle writes "The New York Times is reporting that EA has offered $2B for Take Two Entertainment. The effort appears to be a move to consolidate the two companies before Take Two releases the next iteration of its blockbuster franchise, Grand Theft Auto 4. Take Two has politely declined the offer."
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Electronic Arts Offers $2B For Take Two More

Electronic Arts Offers $2B For Take Two

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  • Oh God no.... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Daimanta ( 1140543 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @07:12PM (#22539438) Journal
    Please don't let EA screw up another good game studio.

    • Re:Oh God no.... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Thane2600 ( 1158225 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @07:26PM (#22539556)
      Word!!! Westwood studios being the prime example of a game studio run into the ground. And Battlefield 2 is like a supermodel dressed in a paper bag. I just love the ten minutes it takes to get into a BF2 server.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by icsx ( 1107185 )
        Oh yes, and don't we all want more sequels after a sequel to a sequel which used to be an original game 10 years ago. Also someday people get bored to those NHL, FIFA, NFL and other sequel series.

        What it comes to situation with EA now, it needs something new since it can only create sequels. If it where to get Take Two, it would get the release of GTA 4, Mafia 2 and other upcoming and important releases. EA has no hitgames on it's garages atm but Take Two has plenty and the firm itself is in good conditi

        • You say that, but... (Score:5, Insightful)

          by Dutch Gun ( 899105 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @08:51PM (#22540308)

          don't we all want more sequels after a sequel to a sequel which used to be an original game 10 years ago
          The simple fact of the matter is, that's what consumers seem to actually want. Look at the most anticipated games of 2008 (according to some writer at Yahoo, that is):

          http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/10-most-anticipated-games-of-2008/1177969 [yahoo.com]

          Grand Theft Auto 4
          Smash Bros. Brawl
          Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
          Metal Gear Solid 4
          Halo Wars
          Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
          Fallout 3
          Spore
          World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
          Final Fantasy XIII

          Of that list, I see only one title based on a 100% new intellectual property: Spore. One guess who is publishing that title...

          Irony?

          • Re:You say that, but... (Score:4, Insightful)

            by crhylove ( 205956 ) <rhy@leperkhanz.com> on Monday February 25, 2008 @05:45AM (#22543612) Homepage Journal
            Well, those are actually good games. For every crappy rehash game I've gotten or tried out via torrent, I've played at least ONE somewhat abysmal original, or a game you've never heard of. It's not that 90% of sequels suck, it's that 90% of all games suck.

            Here is my obligatory list of games that still get played, and most of them are NOT new at all, sequel or otherwise:

            Mario Kart 64 (still the best)
            Mortal Kombat 4 (Great in Emulation), easy controls
            Civilization II (still much funner than civ 4)
            Urban Terror (this has replaced all other FPS games except:)
            Golden Eye 64 (people are ecstatic the second they see it on the big screen in high res).
            Super Mario World & All-Stars (SNES)
            Super Mario 64
            Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
            Flatout 2 (we like to hurl bodies through fire)
            Ocarina of Time (I got nieces and nephews that LOVE it, it's new to them!)
            Tetris (SNES version)
            Dr Mario (N64 version)
            Bust a Move (SNES version)
            Quake 2 Evolved (Sometimes I just put it on because it's pretty)
            Smash Brothers (I only have the n64 version, they seem to like it)
            Super Metroid
            Lego Star Wars (for the littlest guys)

            I honestly can't think of another game that gets played around here. I had Stepmania set up at one point, but nobody was that into it long term.

            I mean, when you zoom out a couple of decades plenty of GOOD games get completely left out of the mix. Of course, I will be first in line for the new Grand Theft Auto, though....

        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by Sinryc ( 834433 )
          See, this is where people are wrong. No one will ever get tired of sports games any faster than people get tired of watching sporting events. Its really that simple. People have been saying that they would get tired of the sport games for the past 5 years or so, but it hasn't happened yet.

      • Re:Oh God no.... (Score:5, Insightful)

        by rustalot42684 ( 1055008 ) <fake@@@account...com> on Sunday February 24, 2008 @07:44PM (#22539728)
        Or Maxis. The SimCity 4 Rush Hour expansion had a stupid thing where you could unlock buildings by doing "U-Drive it" missions or whatever, and now they've made some shitty "sim city societies" game that's not about building up and cities any more, and EA's to blame. Fucking assholes.

        • Re:Oh God no.... (Score:4, Interesting)

          by Mr_eX9 ( 800448 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @09:04PM (#22540384) Homepage

          Maxis may have gotten decapitated, but EA is still giving Will Wright their full support. We'll see the fruits of their labor when Spore finally comes out later this year.

          And the real test to whether or not EA is going to stop screwing up their acquisitions [wired.com] will be the fate of Pandemic/BioWare. The jury's still out on that one.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by atrus ( 73476 )
          Rush Hour U-Drive-It sucked.

          Rush hour had new road types and the intensely useful commute graphs. So it wasn't all bad.

          Societies is horrible though.

        • Re:Oh God no.... (Score:5, Insightful)

          by asdfghjklqwertyuiop ( 649296 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @11:04PM (#22541168)
          Not to mention that SimCity 4 was basically unplayable without the expansion. You just didn't have the road types needed to handle traffic in high-density cities. It just reeked of your typical EA garbage where they get the game only partially done, sell it, then sell the finished product as an expansion. I won't be buying societies.

          • As a person who actually enjoyed the sheer challenge of Simcity 4 I did buy Societies. It was possible to build a huge sprawling metropolis which would function well in Simcity 4 and SimCity 4 was a stable game (I don't have the expansion) however, Societies is a completly different kettle of fish. Some of the issues I've had include:

            The CD's copy protection occasionally will refuse to see the disc as a legal copy
            The game is impossible to uninstall, after installing it on Vista Business, XP SP2, Xp MCE 2

        • and now they've made some shitty "sim city societies" game that's not about building up and cities any more, and EA's to blame. Fucking assholes.
          That was quite the laugh, thank you :D

      • And Battlefield 2 is like a supermodel dressed in a paper bag.
        While I know exactly what you are trying to say about BF2 and exactly why you are trying to say it, I completely fail to see anything remotely undesirable about a supermodel dressed in a paper bag. ;)

        I'd say it's more like Britney Spears using a five year old photo on match.com.

    • Re:Oh God no.... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by numbski ( 515011 ) <[numbski] [at] [hksilver.net]> on Sunday February 24, 2008 @07:50PM (#22539788) Homepage Journal
      Everyone's focused on GTA. How is everyone overlooking the fact that TT owns Visual Concepts - ie, the 2K Sports franchises? They would eliminate the only real competition they have in that arena, and Madden will continue to be the "best" football game out there.

      (ie, the only football game out there)

      • Re: (Score:1, Informative)

        by esrobinson ( 1028500 )
        Madden has been the only football game out there since they purchased the exclusive license from the NFL.
        • Madden has been the only football game out there since they purchased the exclusive license from the NFL.

          All-Pro Football 2k8 was released last year. I myself don't consider on par with Madden, since it lacks a franchise mode (even if they are all made up teams, I don't care), but give enough time I think it would be pretty good.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by CFTM ( 513264 )
            It wasn't on par with Madden in some respects but there were a handful of areas where it was a superior game. For instance, the game captures intangibles far better than the Madden series ever did; it has proper collision detection and a robust AI to go along with it to ensure that players actually make sideline catches as opposed to walking out of bounds like peewee football. Moreover, you don't get any situations where you get stuck on your offensive line with a running back; the back comes up and often
        • I guess the NFL games are important, but one thing 2k sports does have is the NCAA games. These seemed to be a big game for friends although I never really got into them or any other football game.

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by r_jensen11 ( 598210 )

        (ie, the only football game out there)
        Konami makes Pro Evolution/Winning Eleven, which is touted as the most realistic football game out there and has a very dedicated fanbase.

        Oh, you ment American football. Gotcha.... As far as I'm concerned, all video games for that sport went downhill after Tecmo Superbowl
      • I beg to differ! ProEvo is the best football game out there.
      • I'm going to get called for trolling here but I'm not; I'm legitimately confused.

        I thought ie meant "for example". So in the previous comment, numbski states that Madden would be the "best" football game, for example, the only football game.
        Is this a proper use of the ie? Or would something like aka be more appropriate?

        Oh, and EA sucks btw.

    • Re:Oh God no.... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by PocketPick ( 798123 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @07:51PM (#22539792)
      Given the fact that in the last few months Take Two has been investigated by the SEC, ousted most of it's executives, laid off some of it's staff and has a stock value that is still 1/2 what it was in 2005, I don't think they need EA to screw themselves up.
    • ... But it isn't just one good game studio - Take Two own Firaxis, so start screaming right now...

  • I guess EA will get frustrated... (Score:4, Funny)

    by syousef ( 465911 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @07:12PM (#22539444) Journal
    ...and in the spirit of GTA will start randomly shooting people, stealing cars and running people down, and picking fights with random street walkers.
  • I think we are just going to end up with one massive games company.

    • Re:[Whispers] Buy Everything! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Dunbal ( 464142 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @07:31PM (#22539632)
      That's what I thought, way back when all these buyouts and mergers started happening in the 90's. Guess what? The big commercial entities (EA, Sierra, Ubisoft, etc) keep making "sequels" and innovators keep appearing with new stuff that sells well (before getting bought out before version 3, etc).

            I doubt very much we'll only every have the One Big Gaming company - games would suck so much people would eventually stop buying them.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by hobbit ( 5915 )

        I doubt very much we'll only every have the One Big Gaming company - games would suck so much people would eventually stop buying them.
        Just like everyone stopped buying operating systems ;)

      • Ok, but how does this take into the account the every increasing cost to make big games, isn't that creating an ever increasing barrier of entrance? Sure, creating a concept like Tetris doesn't cost much, but on the whole if I draw a graph of the average cost associated with making games over the last 10 years, it has been increasing because of hardware possibilities and such. The most innovative time was when games could be made by a single freak in the attic, but just like in the 90ties when you could not

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by BryanL ( 93656 )
        You mean like with popular music? Big labels bought indie labels in the 70s/80s/90s and now most popular music has a sameness to it. Now the labels complain that people don't buy their music anymore. When there is a sameness to games because there are only a few big game companies, people will probably stop buying games as well.
      • I doubt very much we'll only every have the One Big Gaming company - games would suck so much people would eventually stop buying them.

        I was too busy playing games back then, and less busy thinking about them--besides that I was just a kid--but didn't something very much like that actually already happen once sometime in the 80s or 90s?

        The difference, now, is that video games are breaking into the "real world" and are becoming akin to movies and television. They'll suck, sure, but people won't stop b

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by BarneyL ( 578636 )
      I somehow don't see EA buying Microsoft or Sony so we're likely to have at least three for a while.
      (not that having only one cross platform games company would doo much good for the industry)

  • and of course, (Score:5, Funny)

    by notgm ( 1069012 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @07:13PM (#22539458)
    in response to the offer, take two has blown up several cars outside EA's offices and triggered a turf war.

    • Don't worry: Jack Thomson has a solution!
    • I wish I had mod points.

      I have enjoyed the GTA series, and really hope that EA does not take over Take Two. I can't remember a single game that ever came out EA that I would want to play again. The last game I remember playing was Need for Speed, number 2. EA would destroy that what makes Take Two such an awesome game publishing company!

  • In Related News (Score:5, Funny)

    by garett_spencley ( 193892 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @07:20PM (#22539506) Journal
    Many Take Two shareholders are suing the company for acting outside of the best interest of it's share holders. Other shareholders have resorted to robbing Take Two employees' cars and using them to pick up hookers before taking their money and "disposing" of them.

    • Many Take Two shareholders are suing the company for acting outside of the best interest of it's share holders.
      Nice. I like how in your parody of the Yahoo story you reproduce Slashdot's trademark grammatical error.
       
      • Ouch and to think I'm a grammar Nazi myself. I can't believe I let that one slip :(

        Wait, did I just invoke Godwin's law ? I double suck today.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by elrous0 ( 869638 ) *
      All part of EA's new "Take over every game studio in the world, then give gamers the hot coffee treatment with a sandpaper condom" strategic plan.

  • Take Two ~~ Yahoo? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Rinisari ( 521266 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @07:22PM (#22539518) Homepage Journal
    I wonder if Take Two's shareholders will sue the board now similarly to Yahoo's shareholders.
    • In other news, Microsoft offers Take Two 3 billion, and EA offers to buy Yahoo for 40 billion.
    • Depends if the shareholders can be convinced that this is ultimately the best decision or not. If the board can present a convincing case that ultimately it'll be better to reject this, then everything will be fine. I mean just because a buyout is for a certain amount over market value of the shares, doesn't mean that it is worth it. Maybe GTA 4 does such good business that it really pushes up share prices.

      However, clearly EA is hoping that the shareholders will push the issue. The article notes that EA app
  • "Take-Two is known as a mercurial one-hit wonder." You mean Rockstar's Table Tennis wasn't a smash hit? Go figure ;-)

  • Aw... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Orleron ( 835910 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @07:29PM (#22539600) Homepage
    ...and I was almost so psyched about getting to play a MMORPG where you can grind skills like "Steal Cars", "Shotgun", and "Pimp Ho's".

  • Better headline (Score:5, Funny)

    by Pennidren ( 1211474 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @07:30PM (#22539616)
    Take Two declines to Take Two Billion
  • Given Hillary Clinton's [senate.gov] ongoing fight to convince America that she's better at parenting our kids than we are, these sorts of buyouts may wind up being poor judgment calls should she somehow get elected...
  • I really hope Take Two resists this, or GTA 4 will be their last good game for sure. I really don't want that, and I think many agree with me, because that game is just so freaking good!

  • get ready for ... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by cab15625 ( 710956 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @07:44PM (#22539732)
    GTA 5: Drivers Ed!

    GTA 6: Parental Approval!

    GTA 7: Sunday Driver!

    GTA 8: Horse and Buggy!

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by crossmr ( 957846 )
      oh please.. it takes them years to do a sequel, it just means GTA will have expansion packs and stuff packs. You'll be able to buy expansion packs that add new areas and missions to drive around in, and stuff packs will add new outfits, cars, and the guns will have new coloured triggers.

    • GTA 8: Horse and Buggy! DAM, gimma some of that western hot coffee crime

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Epistax ( 544591 )
      Quakertown or Bust: Unelectric Boogaloo

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Scoldog ( 875927 )
      Problem is, driving a horse and buggy can be pretty violent!
       
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWFG4oEn87E

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Enonu ( 129798 )
      Horse and Buggy, hmm, what about a grand theft auto (I know auto doesn't make sense here anymore), set in old western times? Riding with a gang of thieves to take down a stage coach full of gold on fast horses actually sounds pretty fun. The entire skill of quick shooting could be pretty interesting when paired with today's twichy mousers. The wild west in a video game?

      All of the old movies could be brought in. The good, the bad, and the ugly. The unforgiven. Sounds awesome.
      • Isn't that sort of the premise for GUN [wikipedia.org]?
      • They did this, it was called GUN [wikipedia.org] and it wasn't very good. The problem with a sandbox wild west game is that without automobiles you'd have to spend 90% of your time riding around on a horse, at horse-like speeds, getting from town to small, sleepy town. Aside from gunfights, there isn't a whole hell of a lot of videogamey things to do in a western game. Life was just too slow.
    • Your point about EA making too many sequels would be a lot more biting if you didn't have to start at 5 because the current owners have ALREADY MADE FOUR OF THEM.

  • Phew (Score:2, Informative)

    by mark72005 ( 1233572 )
    I read another article where an EA bigwig was dismayed by EA's consistently low ratings at metacritic and other sites. Seems like a transparent attempt to eliminate competition with their crappy sports games.
  • Now we can get set our clocks to a new GTA release every year with minor modifications as fanbois praise it.
  • It infects healthy cells, multiplies like crazy, introduces all kinds of horrible mutations then eventually moves on, leaving dead tissue in its wake. I think in biology it's called that Cancer.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mog007 ( 677810 )
      No, you just described a virus. Cancer is caused by a mutation in a healthy cell from damaged DNA which causes the cell to replicated unchecked.

  • REJECTED (Score:4, Informative)

    by Zaffo ( 755234 ) on Sunday February 24, 2008 @08:07PM (#22539946)
    The latest word is that Take-Two Interactive's Board of Directors has rejected EA's offer: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080224/20080224005068.html [yahoo.com]

    Take-Two's Board of Directors has thoroughly reviewed EA's unsolicited proposal with the assistance of its independent financial and legal advisors and concluded that the proposal is inadequate in multiple respects and not in the best interests of Take-Two's stockholders.
  • ..."politely?" Okay, they may have used polite and diplomatic language, but Take Two told EA to f*ck right the f*ck off, and cram a few sharp pointy sticks in various orifices and organs in the process. Their response goes so far as to call the EA offer irresponsible and (by inference) insulting.
  • Who read the headline as $28? This concept of B confuses and infuriates me!
  • Finally George W. Bush is unlocked as an American leader, and the Fox News World Wonder is available, after it is built you can declare war on any nation with a Weapons of Mass Destruction claim even if they don't have any. It also allows you to remain in power even if your people find out the nation had no WMDs and it is draining your economy as well.

    Special units, Dick Cheney unit to form Haliburton corporation to get no-bid oil contracts on any nation you invade. Colin Powell unit to help ease opposition to the war with faked evidence for it. Condeliza Rice unit to get other civilizations to side with you on the war. Bill O'Reilly unit to keep your population happy even if they oppose the war.
  • All hail the EA death march!

    One of us! One of us! One of us!

  • $2B (Score:2)

    by achurch ( 201270 )

    So the question is, what did they offer forty-three of?

    Husks of overworked employees? Content-free games?

    . . . Wizened 6502 assembly hackers?

  • Hostile Takeover (Score:2, Informative)

    by jagdish ( 981925 )
    EA will move in for hostile takeover [gamespot.com]. This is unrelated to GTA4. EA wants to eliminate 2K Sports.

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