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DocHoliday78
01-17-2005, 03:01 PM
Electronic Arts, ESPN ink exclusive 15-year deal

[UPDATE] ESPN brand and programming to surface in EA sports titles on all platforms; Sega Sports and Visual Concepts thrown for a loss, again.
Electronic Arts broke the calm of a national holiday today by announcing a licensing deal of epic proportions. For the next fifteen years, EA will be the sole licensee of the ESPN brand in the area of sports games, which will include console, handheld, PC, and wireless games.


Games with leverage the ESPN brand will make their way to retail sometime during calendar year 2006, "upon the conclusion of ESPN’s existing video game licensing commitments."

The news is the second blow to current ESPN license-holder Sega (and its Visual Concepts development studio). It recently lost the right to publish sports games using the NFL license when EA scooped that license up. Now, it loses the right to the ESPN brand as well.

In a statement released today, the world's largest game publisher said, "The relationship will include established EA SPORTS franchises--which will be enhanced by ESPN telecast, print and online content--as well as new sports games to be published by EA based on ESPN media properties."

Addressing ways EA intends to leverage not only ESPN programming but also technology, EA's vice president of marketing Frank Gibeau told GameSpot today, "When everything is online, and we’re going to be able to have live feeds, there's a lot of sports information content from ESPN that's really going to expand what EA Sports already does."

When asked to elaborate, Gibeau decline to go into specifics, but did say, "I think you can start to think about some of the core technology capabilities that are going to come online in the next few years with portability, wireless...you can think about the live feeds that can start to come in from ESPN inside of the games." For example, "being able to set rosters based on that night's rosters, brought to you by ESPN."

Gibeau also said the deal "goes upstream as well as downstream," suggesting ESPN will gain from the alliance as well. "Being able to use our technology to help illustrate games and analysis, being able to use some of their franchises with our games as programming opportunities [also] becomes part of this deal."

Gibeau seemed intent on dispelling chatter that has suggested the ESPN deal means a hasty departure from any future work with John Madden. "If you think about the deal, it’s not an inevitability that he goes away…I'm not sure where those stories are coming from," Gibeau said. "I think the simple fact is we've had a long-term, great relationship with John Madden. And he’s in our games next year."

The agreement announced today is for fifteen years "with an option to terminate after ten years under certain conditions," the statement said. The agreement gives the publisher "exclusive first rights" to all ESPN content for simulation sports games.

Elaborating on that first right option, Gibeau said, "With regards to the first right of refusal, all it means is that if ESPN has a program that we're not interested in making a video game about, they have the opportunity to be able to go and figure out how to produce it, without our participation." However, Gibeau added, "The likelihood of that occurring is very low."

While a fifteen-year term in the world of licensing is nothing new, it is unusual in the game space. "The term is really a signal and a commitment level between the two partners," Gibeau said today. "It's like saying we're going to get married without a pre-nup."

Watch for a complete interview with Frank Gibeau, and more on the EA/ESPN marriage, tomorrow in GameSpot News.
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/01/17/news_6116473.html

This is nuts, they are taking over everything man. Now with this 15 year espn deal, it done. They are officially unstopable................

Ford Mustang
01-17-2005, 03:11 PM
Yeah...They make substandard games but they buy their way all over the marketplace so nobody else can compete.

mattgame
01-17-2005, 03:19 PM
This was just posted in the news by yours truly. It just happened today. It is a disaster of epic proportions. EA is teh monopoly. All they need now is Boardwalk.

DocHoliday78
01-17-2005, 03:50 PM
Yeah, i read it off of your post. T hizzle give the newsizzle. Atleast the NBA stayed true

laughs
01-17-2005, 04:21 PM
EA=Cow Turd

RockTheCasba
01-17-2005, 04:47 PM
is that article true on the front page? thats loco if thats true

Xer0Mercy
01-17-2005, 05:04 PM
Sweet. It's too bad they have to wait to Madden 2007 to implement ESPN into the game, though.

Shoua
01-17-2005, 05:29 PM
I think Microsoft should shell out a few billion and buy EA out. They would get all these exclusive lisences to their future consoles. I swear EA is gonna own every publisher and License at the rate they are going. I HATE them. They better start putting out quailty games on all consoles! Poor Sega

wbio
01-17-2005, 05:54 PM
EA=Cow Turd
or Elf Anus, whichever you prefer

CRAYMAN
01-17-2005, 06:10 PM
WTH are you guys talking about?

EA purchasing the NFL Players rights?

Duke
01-17-2005, 06:56 PM
EA just bought my dog and is now dating my girlfriend.

CRAYMAN
01-17-2005, 07:06 PM
EA just bought my dog and is now dating my girlfriend.

Sounds like they killed two birds with ONE stone. :rofl:

Duke
01-17-2005, 07:08 PM
How did I not see that coming. CRAYMAN is t3h banned

mattgame
01-17-2005, 07:28 PM
or Elf Anus, whichever you prefer

Elf- anus?

:rofl: :rofl: :hail:

Soda Jones
01-17-2005, 07:32 PM
I like EA, they should get bigger, create a larger monopoly, that way, when they control the prices, the product quality, and everything associate with that, I'm sure that as a responsible company, they'll never overprice their games, or ship a nonrefined game....Cause, we all know how dependable Windows is, look how responsible Microsoft has been, my computer only gets the BSOD one a week.

EDIT* not really, my PC kicks ass, prolly the fastest one in XBA....

mattgame
01-17-2005, 07:37 PM
They are going to destroy the industry and it's our fault.

CharlieHustle
01-17-2005, 07:43 PM
I guess EA is gonna make us buy their games, huh?? If so, are they really that scared?? I hope sega sports still put out their sports titles, which will be quality for sure. Its sad, because the espn brand gave their games personalities, and i would like to see what they are gonna do without it. And EA will just mimic what sega has done with the espn logo.

lllSmokelll
01-17-2005, 08:00 PM
omg this is so ****in gay


EA DOESNT EVEN NEED ESPN FOR MADDEN, MADDEN ALREADY RULES THE WORLD IN SALES



im gona miss the ESPN presentation in the sega basketball games, they were so much better than ea's peice if **** live

mattgame
01-17-2005, 08:10 PM
Sega spooked EA with that 19.99 deal and EA showed them. You gotta give them credit, one way to beat your competition is make sure you don't have any.

faceoff508
01-17-2005, 08:41 PM
This sucks. At least it will make Madden better.

LTM360
01-17-2005, 09:39 PM
This sucks. At least it will make Madden better.


:rofl: How do you figure. It will be better only by compairison of; Nothing. From this day forward Madden won't need to change at all since it doesn't have any competition. They can now go back to what they were doing, rehashing older versions and calling it different, with a new sticker and cover star. EA is a disgrace to games, gamers, and life itself. They should rot in the ground.

Xer0Mercy
01-18-2005, 12:00 AM
You guys put down EA too much. I'm not buying that they will stop trying on their football games.

I think I've figured it out: People who are true football fans like Madden. Those who aren't too sure what a first down is, play NFL2K5. That has to be it.

lllusion
01-18-2005, 12:02 AM
Its hard to see, what will happen.. Ea do bring innovative things to the tables at times...

We will have to wait and see what happens... And it better be good!

Duke
01-18-2005, 12:28 AM
You guys put down EA too much. I'm not buying that they will stop trying on their football games.

I think I've figured it out: People who are true football fans like Madden. Those who aren't too sure what a first down is, play NFL2K5. That has to be it.

Apparently you failed to notice that they stopped trying some time ago.

As far as true football fans liking Madden? Sure, plenty do. The majority of which just haven't played ESPN.

Variation-XBA
01-18-2005, 12:53 AM
Someone has to stop them =/

Peepers
01-18-2005, 04:25 AM
Merging this thread was done poorly. The first post gives no link, context, or explanation.

Duke
01-18-2005, 04:30 AM
Merging this thread was done poorly. The first post gives no link, context, or explanation.

Neither do any of the posts that were made in either thread that was merged. So......

Peepers
01-18-2005, 04:36 AM
Neither do any of the posts that were made in either thread that was merged. So......

Well that's just great for everybody.

CRAYMAN
01-18-2005, 11:00 AM
I think I've figured it out: People who are true football fans like Madden. Those who aren't too sure what a first down is, play NFL2K5. That has to be it.

You mean where multiple audibles in Madden makes the opposing team 'exhausted' so that you can convert first downs with ease??/?/1/1

Or where the game FORCES you to punt on fourth downs?!?!?1/1?

If the game was ANY good you could shut down 4th down attempts to convert with relative ease, but since it isn't, Madden FORCES you to punt in order to attempt to keep the game realistic. In short, their engine is dated and in need of an overhaul, not cosmetic either(although that needs help also).

If you like Madden better than ESPN...great, but don't make foolish comments.

thrAsher
01-18-2005, 11:18 AM
This crap EA is pulling might be 'good business' in a very basic sense, but it's really overly aggressive IMO. If I was a sports fan, I'd be outraged. As a gamer, I am simply for the fact that if EA keeps on like this unchecked, they could really hurt the industry. Their games are crap, and they're all about the bottom line.

I hope they all burn.

Casper
01-18-2005, 11:21 AM
Merging this thread was done poorly. The first post gives no link, context, or explanation.
So it's my fault people don't know how to post? Thanks :rolleyes:

I edited the thread due to people's lack of knowledge on how to post an informative thread.

Casper
01-18-2005, 11:23 AM
You guys put down EA too much. I'm not buying that they will stop trying on their football games.

I think I've figured it out: People who are true football fans like Madden. Those who aren't too sure what a first down is, play NFL2K5. That has to be it.
Yea, that must be it, cuz lord knows, I'm not a football fan at all - but have for some reason always stuck with the Sega series since the days of the DC. As well as bieng involved in Fantasy Football for the last 5 years of my life - I hate the sport.

mattgame
01-18-2005, 12:52 PM
Caspowned!!

Motoko
01-19-2005, 04:52 PM
Casper owned you, Xer0.

Casper
01-19-2005, 05:29 PM
Casper owned you, Xer0.
Actually, I thought I did a better job on Peepers, but who am I to argue.

Xer0Mercy
01-19-2005, 05:33 PM
You mean where multiple audibles in Madden makes the opposing team 'exhausted' so that you can convert first downs with ease??/?/1/1

Or where the game FORCES you to punt on fourth downs?!?!?1/1?

If the game was ANY good you could shut down 4th down attempts to convert with relative ease, but since it isn't, Madden FORCES you to punt in order to attempt to keep the game realistic. In short, their engine is dated and in need of an overhaul, not cosmetic either(although that needs help also).
Yes, EA made a mistake with this. Easy fix: turn fatigue off. Who needs fatigue, anyway?

The game doesn't force you to punt on first downs. If you are playing online, and you are playing a "fairplay" game, you must punt unless you're in certain situations. This is to stop people from going for it on 4th down in unrealistic situations.

Shutting down 4th down conversions is no easier than they are in real life. I guess you just suck at the game and therefore, can't stop it.

Get your information right next time. It sounds like you don't have much of any valid arguments.


Yea, that must be it, cuz lord knows, I'm not a football fan at all - but have for some reason always stuck with the Sega series since the days of the DC. As well as bieng involved in Fantasy Football for the last 5 years of my life - I hate the sport.
Basically my comment implied that I will never figure out why everyone like 2K5 better. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are some things that are very cool about the game, such as the presentation and a few other things. It must be the graphics, or something.

The fact that you can break tackles so easily it about retarded. Tap the 'A' button as fast as you can and you can evade the tackle! It's bull****. Doesn't really matter what difficulty it's on. That's just one thing I don't care about in the game. Just the feel and flow of the game messes me up.

I owned a DC and was quite loyal to the 2K series, owning all of the 2K's up to 2K3. I HATED Madden before this time. Then I gave Madden a try, and liked it better.

I guess it's kind of weird - I can never tell which game someone will like better. It's kind of a toss-up in that one person may think it's a great game where the other thinks its not that great.

I think it's a good game, I just think Madden has a better feel to it. That's probably the main reason why I prefer Madden of 2K5.

Razor70
01-20-2005, 10:25 AM
You know, everyone has already put the nail in the coffin for Sega Sports, but you know what I see..I see a future of football games without the licensing that will still kick the heck out of Madden. I see Tecmo Football on the horizon! I mean come on, Sega can still make a great football game and just not have the NFL License. They could make up really cool names like Buster Brown, Mighty Joe Punter, Crazy Legs McKenzie and still make a excellent game. Make it more of a arcade type of game. Let EA have the simulation games and just go after the acarde market. That's what I would do, I mean yes simulation games are cool, but a arcade game with hard hits and blood and gore now that's real time football to me! Bring on the Mortal Kombat of football games. Make a game where you can do martial arts moves on the other players to break tackles. Have a game where you have weapons aka guns, swords, rpg's and be able to use them as you run plays. Now that would be a kicking game. I don't see this as a end to Sega's sports titles at all..I see it as a new beginning in their sports titles. Bring on the Pain!

WynnFire
01-20-2005, 10:33 AM
DAMN'T! Now I'm really mad I didn't run down those (I think it was) 9 EA employees last month at the red light. Damn't! They cannot possibly keep doing this can they? They have to be breaking some law or something in the video game industry right?

CRAYMAN
01-20-2005, 12:59 PM
Yes, EA made a mistake with this. Easy fix: turn fatigue off. Who needs fatigue, anyway?

The game doesn't force you to punt on first downs. If you are playing online, and you are playing a "fairplay" game, you must punt unless you're in certain situations. This is to stop people from going for it on 4th down in unrealistic situations.

Shutting down 4th down conversions is no easier than they are in real life. I guess you just suck at the game and therefore, can't stop it.

Get your information right next time. It sounds like you don't have much of any valid arguments.


(Oops! You really stepped in it this time!)

WHO NEEDS FATIGUE???!?!?!? How about ANYONE that wants a realistic simulation of FOOTBALL!!!!

If it's sooo easy to shut down 4th and 30 in MAdden....why take out the option of players to attempt it??? I'll tell you why they take it out. It's a lot easier for EA to remove the option than to go through the trouble of FIXING the problem. Their football engine is dated and in need of an overhaul.
It looks like maybe you don't have "much of any valid arguments". :D

Soundscape
01-20-2005, 01:59 PM
this is terrible. nfl 2k5 was more realistic and just overall a much better game than than ea version....same with their basketball games, imo. like someone else said, ea just rehashes last years game with a couple new "features" and throws a 50 dollar price tag on it.

sega > ea sports....by a long shot.