The EA monster crosses the last line. Get out the pitch fork and torches.

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

EA Nabs ESPN as 15-Year Exclusive
First the NFL, now the most recognized brand in sports media.
By David Adams

January 17, 2005 - With thundering force, Electronic Arts may have just swung the final punch to sports rival SEGA: the gaming giant just announced it has entered a 15-year exclusive licensing deal with ESPN.

Under the agreement, EA has exclusive video game rights to ESPN-branded print, telecast, and online content -- in addition to other ESPN media properties. The agreement covers all gaming platforms -- consoles, PC, handhelds, and wireless, and will begin in 2006, upon completion of ESPN\'s current licensing commitments.

The agreement most clearly affects Take Two and SEGA, which jointly publish a series of ESPN-licensed sports titles. The companies are still reeling from EA\'s announcement last month that it had acquired exclusive video game rights to NFL properties -- a direct challenge to SEGA\'s ESPN NFL franchise.

Obviously, the challenge is now doubled.

[clips]

a wee bit late there D.H. ....

Can i still get out my pitch fork and torches ?

[Viper_Fujax]

im hoping they mix the good things of ESPN with madden.

Madden/ESPN gameplay, ESPN tackling, Madden franchise, Madden\'s upper body graphics, ESPN\'s everything else graphics, how players run in madden (cant stand how they run in ESPN), etc.

I\'ve heard rumours of EA looking at aquiring VC/Take-Two, so there\'s an off chance that we\'ll basically be getting VC\'s sports games under the EA name.

But now to the facts, I\'m actually pleased with this. EA is going to have to drop the Madden name eventually, so this is the smartest and also sneakiest way they could have rebranded possible. I congratulate their continued good business sense.

[clips]

Originally posted by EThuggV3
I\'ve heard rumours of EA looking at aquiring VC/Take-Two, so there\'s an off chance that we\'ll basically be getting VC\'s sports games under the EA name.

But now to the facts, I\'m actually pleased with this. EA is going to have to drop the Madden name eventually, so this is the smartest and also sneakiest way they could have rebranded possible. I congratulate their continued good business sense.

concerning the rumors you\'ve heard...that will be the ONLY way i pick up another copy of EA\'s football....

VVE (damaged by Planetside)

Bah, but it seems FRANCE is taking a stance against EA, god bless those Frenchmen, they are getting pretty good at standing up to stop the idiots.

I hope DICE decides not to agree to EAs new terms also. Hmm you know what would be cool? Government owned developers, there is lots of money to be made if you are good at making games, Dice and Starbreeze are two good developers.

Battlefield 2 - Developed by DICE , Published by SAP

I might just suggest that.

Great business sense for EA is going to seriously screw up Sega and its employees.

Sega struggles to survive and last year\'s ESPN initiative was a real ray of light for them.

Now it seems they\'ve just helped build up their competitor\'s next brand.

EA sucks.

-Dan

So sad that EA gets the credit for games they dont own too.
Just like Burnout3.
Developers and talents=criterion
Publisher=EA bleh
The game has EA written all over it.The word Criterion appears only for a few seconds before the title screen.But who gets  unfairly the credit?EA!The most uncreative overrated games company in the world.
I hope they shope their stupid Need For Speed series up their ass.They suck at racing games.They dont desrvre reckognition for Burnout

*starts to cry

I\'ve said it all along about EA :o

I wouldn\'t be surprised if they would cause the
3rd crash of the (console) videogames industry
(ok, so that might be a slight exaggeration...)

Unicorn- Was it any less unfair when  Acclaim was the ones taking credit for Burnout? And hey... Hot Pursuit was cool. At least I thought it was.

Its amazing how wound up you guys get over this.

Originally posted by EThuggV3
Unicorn- Was it any less unfair when  Acclaim was the ones taking credit for Burnout? And hey... Hot Pursuit was cool. At least I thought it was.

OFCOURSE

[Titan]

Originally posted by SwifDi
Its amazing how wound up you guys get over this.

You didn\'t expect this from a message board full of dorks? *hides in corner and cries*