280°

What if Microsoft Really Bought EA?

There have been a few, huge game changing shifts throughout the history of gaming, but the Earth-shattering, face-melting, brain-punching change that would result from Microsoft purchasing EA is nearly unfathomable. There are simply too many things to consider. What is that? You didn't hear the news? Well, looks like Microsoft would like to purchase EA. Sure, Microsoft denied this when asked about it, but since when has that ever stopped something from being true?

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gametopius.com
Decerto5995d ago

Things would not end well...

PLAYINB3YOND5995d ago

The problem with M$ buying EA is that EA would lose all of its sports licenses, because the NFL, FIFA etc want as many of their games of every platform as they can get and M$ only have 1 console. All M$/EA would be left with isoriginal IPs such as Mirrors Edge and Dead Space. Not a good deal if you ask me.

BattleAxe5995d ago (Edited 5995d ago )

I doubt it would happen, but look at it this way, if MS bought EA it would put them on an even playing field with Sony as far as first party development goes.

All you have to do is look at Sony's IP list and look at Microsofts......(these IPs are either owned by MS, EA and Sony)

Sony - (PSN titles not included)

- WarHawk
- Socom
- MAG
- Resistance
- Infamous
- Killzone
- Ratchet and Clank
- Jak and Daxter
- Sly Cooper
- God of War
- MLB The Show
- NBA The Inside
- Gran Turismo
- Motorstorm
- Hot Shots Golf
- Heavenly Sword
- Sing Star
- Buzz Quiz
- Uncharted
- Heavy Rain
- Little Big Planet
- The Agency
- DC Online Universe
- Eye Pet
- Eyedentify
- The Eye of Judgement
- Modnation Racers
- Syphon Filter
- Twisted Metal
- Folklore
- Lair
- The Last Guardian
- Siren
- Untold Legends
- White Knight Chronicles
- Free Realms
- Home
- Wipeout
- Star Trek Online

Microsoft -

- Banjo Kazooi
- Halo
- Crackdown
- Forza
- Lips
- Alan Wake
- Blue Dragon
- Fable
- Lost Odyssey
- Perfect Dark Zero
- Project Gotham Racing
- Scene it
- Viva Pinata

Electronic Arts -

- Tiger Woods Golf
- Madden NFL
- NBA Live
- NHL
- NCAA Football
- NCAA BasketBall
- Fight Night
- Fifa Soccer
- Rock Band
- Skate
- Burnout
- Nascar
- Need for Speed
- BattleField
- Medal of Honor
- Mirrors Edge
- Army of Two
- The Sabateur
- Dead Space
- Dante's Inferno
- Black
- Mercenaries
- MMA
- Mass Effect
- The Sims
- Dragon Age
- Warhammer Online
- Dark Age of Camelot
- Spore
- Star Wars: The Old Republic

Edit: Some of these games such as all of the sports games, DC Online Universe, Star Trek Online and Star Wars : The Old Republic are produced under license and so the IP might not be owned by Sony or EA.

darthv725995d ago

Do you think the solo license of the nfl going exclusively to EA was a good idea? I think competition breeds innovation and when others were shut out of making nfl licensed games it hurt that competitive nature.

Only one company making your games may be a convenience but one that seems limiting. You say nfl and others want their games on as many systems as they can to make $$. That same sentiment should apply to companies making games with the nfl and nba and mlba licenses as well.

MS buying EA might kill the exclusive license agreements and bring back competition for other companies who think they can do better.

I dont know if I should look at the prospect as good or bad.

MNicholas5995d ago

they would be forced to make games for the PS3 and Nintendo due to existing licensing contracts. However, they would ensure that the versions on competing consoles are inferior.

That's how they roll.

As for the merger itself, it should be blocked by the feds to prevent one company from having, essentially, monopoly power. Capitalism only works when there's sustained competition among many smaller companies rather than market control by a single monopoly that gradually eliminates smaller competition.

Granted, many aspects of the American economy (thanks to deregulation) have been turned from efficient, competitive markets into virtual monopolies, but still, I think some major alarm bells will go off if this Microsoft/EA merger concept picks up steam.

Investors should be the first to worry. Microsoft, in particular, has never been a worthy custodian of monopoly power.

evrfighter5995d ago (Edited 5995d ago )

"As for the merger itself, it should be blocked by the feds to prevent one company from having, essentially, monopoly power."

M$ buying EA wouldn't be a monopoly. The deal would go through. Activision alone discredits your statement. Then there's also Ubisoft

If M$ bought out EA. Nothing would change. Both companies business practices are too similar to each other to have a huge impact.

DeadlyFire5995d ago

Nascar is no longer EA owned. It has split from EA.

Nascar has iRacing.com game deal for 2010 and also Nascar on GT 5 coming in 2010.

IdleLeeSiuLung5995d ago (Edited 5995d ago )

It would not EVER happen and if it does, start selling your stock in MS as they have just proven that they have lost their business edge. That is like hiring Carly Fiorina to run HP after she ran that other company to the ground!

Basically it would cost far too much to buy out a large multi-platform publishers only to get rid of close to half of the platforms EA publish on. That's like paying billions of dollars on something you can't use.

Unless it is a huge franchise I see no reason MS or even Sony wouldn't rather just develop their own IP. Besides it seems MS strategy is to fund third parties to create exclusives games for them. Probably an expensive lesson learned from Rare.

Aquanox5995d ago

I doubt this will happen. If so, the EA Sports brand alone would push millions to buy an Xbox since most of them are absolutely addicted to their games (FIFA, Madden being the biggest)

Also, just take a look at the plethora of high quality franchises EA represents:

FIFA
MADDEN
ARMY OF TWO
NHL
BATTLEFIELD
BURNOUT
COMMAND AND CONQUER
CRYSIS
DANTE'S INFERNO
DEAD SPACE
DRAGON AGE
FIGHT NIGHT
MASS EFFECT
MEDAL OF HONOR
MIRROR'S EDGE
NASCAR
NBA LIVE
NVCAA FOOTBALL
NEED FOR SPEED
SKATE
THE SABOTEUR
THE SIMS
SPORE

If this happens, they will be no way to fight Microsoft in terms of first party software. Then again, I really doubt it will.

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RedDragan5995d ago

and went Microsoft exclusive, then Pro Evolution Soccer would become the Number 1 football game.

One would be restricted to a single console, the other would still be multi-platform.

red2tango5995d ago

You do know that MLB The Show is exclusive to PS3 and it destroys 2K and The Bigs?

Marquis_de_Sade5994d ago

No, seeing as PES is vastly inferior to FIFA, it would not be the number one game. In terms of sales only, but I'm willing to bet that a large number of FIFA fans on the PS3 would purchase a 360 rather than put up with PES, myself included.

Biggunz5995d ago

What if a frog had a glass ass?

Defectiv3_Detectiv35995d ago

They wouldn't make nearly as much money as an exclusive dev. If anyone were to buy EA, it would be Sony, seeing as how EA games usually sell better on that platform anyways.

Either way, gamers would lose out in the end. Ribbit Ribbit

Grandreaper99995995d ago

Do the words "Game" and "Over" sit well with anyone here?

cemelc5995d ago (Edited 5995d ago )

For EA maybe, for sony and nintendo not really.

If Ea where to fall, many new companies are going to take that place, that much is true

Foxgod5995d ago (Edited 5995d ago )

And how are they going to fill this place?
They would have to make better games then EA is making now, if that can be done, then why is noone doing it right now.

If EA would be bought, MS owns all their IP's, i dont see anyone creating an alternative for all these ip's and make them sell better as well.

@below
If EA is bought, then its not pulling from the market, there would still be a yearly Fifa, a yearly madden and all their other games.
So again, how do you think anyone is going to take their place, if their place is already filled.

*slaps forehead*
You are seriously DUMB!

cemelc5995d ago (Edited 5995d ago )

That would be the biggest chance for any company to rise, one of the big dogs is pulling out from 4 mayor consoles in the market now.

Don't you think there is a void to be fill right there??? like 30% void in the market.

Edit Above: A yearly sport game for xbox and pc, but i don't think M$ would allow his new developers(EA), to create games for PS3, NDS,Wii,PSP.

Could you please at least think for moment before writing?.

BattleAxe5995d ago

The reason why EA is so big in the first place is because they make games for every platform including the iPhone. If MS bought them out, EA would lose its sports licenses to another company like 2K. The companies that own those licenses want their games on all platforms. Either that or the companies that are giving out the licenses would just give out more licenses to different devs.

Even if MS were to keep making those games for other platforms, they would make sure that the quality of everything else other than the XBOX 360 would be lower so the 360 would get the best versions, wich would cause them to lose big time sales over time.

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Sarcasm5995d ago

Wow... I'd just enjoy the last few PS3 exclusives left and then quit gaming altogether and become a monk and train for 50 years until I am physically and mentally ready to die and go to heaven.

Yeah... that's what I'd do...

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Mulletino7d ago

More and more it seems like these gaming companies are at war with their fans.

40°

Video Game Stocks Plunge on Fears Google's Genie 3 Will Replace Game Engines

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rushdownradio.net
peppeaccardo24d ago

same level of fear that gen ai will replace art ... it is a tool that will help to prototipize open world games, but to completelly substitute game engines ... we are still a long way from it

z2g24d ago

Duplicate story. Or does Christopher just remove xbox stories that are similar?

Commentby24d ago

Humans have been developing things to simplify jobs since the beginning.
AI is going to remove the human factor from the job, but it can never replace all jobs that need a human factor.
I wish I could see the end of the story. What is the end, end goal, final piece, etc.
Is it a world run by machines, do humans live in a free world, does a dictator finally have an robot army, do humans finally free of working forever, does ChatGPT create an army to defeat Gemini., so many possibilities …