Bad news: EA may be distributing Sega's games soon

Sega officially considering EA partnership

Rob Fahey 11:28 27/05/2003
Electronic Arts hook-up in the making after merger talks fiasco


Incoming Sega president Hisao Oguchi has confirmed that the company is in talks with Electronic Arts over a sales alliance in North America which would further the Japanese company's overseas ambitions.

According to Oguchi - who will replace current president Hideki Sato in June following Sato's resignation over the recent failed merger talks with Sammy and Namco - EA has tabled an official offer to work with Sega, and the companies are currently engaged in discussions.

EA's name has been associated with Sega throughout the failed merger talks, although it never really seemed likely that the giant publisher would actually seriously attempt to acquire Sega; a sales and capital partnership has always seemed like the more likely option.

Until recently, EA operated a reciprocal partnership with Square which saw the two companies operating sales alliances in the USA and Japan; this deal was allowed to lapse, however, following the merger of Square and rival publisher Enix earlier this year.

A similar deal with Sega would make sense for both companies - providing EA with a vital foothold in the Japanese market, and giving Sega a much stronger position in the USA. Oguchi made it clear at the press conference where his appointment as president was announced that he plans to aggressively develop the company's overseas business, and this would be a strong first step in that direction.

However, one key bone of contention may exist - namely the Sega Sports range, which is designed to compete directly with the EA Sports titles in North America. Sega might not be too unhappy to see that particular range of titles dwindle away, though - it was after all hugely over-optimistic projections for Sega Sports, and a foolhardy decision to take on EA head-on over various American sports games, which were mostly responsible for the company's recent financial troubles (and hence indirectly for the merger debacle which claimed the heads of the former president and COO last week).

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content...e=pub&aid=1699

I hate you EA! :cuss:

I for one dont see this changing Sega's plans for say making XBL games, (not that they have been working hard to do that). I dont really think this will be bad news at all if it does happen.

Hopefully that means that Sega games will go through EA's distribution rings, not that EA will be the publisher of them. If EA even thinks about touching the 2k games....:cuss:

Don't mind on EA anymore...look like they gonna dominate Sega... :cuss:

As long as Madden and NBA Live don't get "Sega-tized" then I will be happy.

NBA Live sucks. The 2k series has been better for ummm ever.

Oh god... The last thing I want is a ****ing EA produced Sonic game. If that ever happens I will kill myself. No kidding..

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Originally posted by Waterspout
As long as Madden and NBA Live don't get "Sega-tized" then I will be happy.

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I'd be more worried about the 2K's getting "EA"-atized

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Originally posted by sabca


I'd be more worried about the 2K's getting "EA"-atized

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I second that. The 2k games are awesome as they are. They better leave it alone.

The differences between those two companies are few and far between. Infact, most of the time SEGA actually somehow manages to produce games with less quality than EA. One factor that makes me appreciate SEGA a tad bit more is the LIVE factor, nonetheless, I don't own any SEGA live enabled games and I really have no plans on getting any. Both companies are relative garbage. Why not make one big pile instead of spreding it around?

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Originally posted by MerimacHamwich
The differences between those two companies are few and far between. Infact, most of the time SEGA actually somehow manages to produce games with less quality than EA. One factor that makes me appreciate SEGA a tad bit more is the LIVE factor, nonetheless, I don't own any SEGA live enabled games and I really have no plans on getting any. Both companies are relative garbage. Why not make one big pile instead of spreding it around?

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nah, sega makes some badazz games. ea ruins everything. they turn gold into SH~~, sega has made good games, theres only a few i can name that actually sucked. other than that they are a good company, and they have accomplished ahell of alot more than ea.

This would simply be a partnership, not an acquisition. Don't worry, dudes...EA is close, but, not that close.

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Originally posted by canadianboi3

I second that. The 2k games are awesome as they are. They better leave it alone.

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I hate 2k. Graphics are good....gameplay is crap. Gameplay is something I look forward to the most. I will get NFL 2K4 this year ONLY for online play since I am a huge football fan but will get Madden 2004 to play single player throughout the season. I won't even bother with NBA 2K4....especially if it is as bad as previous years. NBA Live 2002 sucked but 2003 was great. Sega games have poor default rosters too. I can always count on EA to have the correct rosters. EASports all the way baby!! I won't be Sega-tized!!

ooohhh that is going to **** somebody off :)

^^ What are you talking about Live 2003 stunk. I played them both. In Live the players moved way too fast, their was no colision detection, mediocre characters shot 70% in the paint, it had less then half the animations as 2k3, worse graphics, Live still has that stupid hand check button, you can still knock a guy down and have no call, the jab step and fake pass have more use in 2k3 then the hyped out right analog stick in Live.

Its not just hoops Sega owns NHL,MLB, and Tennis. I still give Madden an edge in Football but not as clear an edge.

If Top Spin lives up ti bill Microsoft will be making better sports games then EA.

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Originally posted by Bigwig
^^ What are you talking about Live 2003 stunk. I played them both. In Live the players moved way too fast, their was no colision detection, mediocre characters shot 70% in the paint, it had less then half the animations as 2k3, worse graphics, Live still has that stupid hand check button, you can still knock a guy down and have no call, the jab step and fake pass have more use in 2k3 then the hyped out right analog stick in Live.

Its not just hoops Sega owns NHL,MLB, and Tennis. I still give Madden an edge in Football but not as clear an edge.

If Top Spin lives up ti bill Microsoft will be making better sports games then EA.

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Bah, I also played both. NBA Live stayed and 2K3 was traded in along with NCAA Basketball 2K3, which was even more disappointing. I can't wait for EA Sports version of NCAA Basketball. Hand check button? You mean the steal button. I find that pretty realistic. If I can get away with a bad call like some do in the NBA then so be it. Most of the time you will steal the ball or get called with a foul. Once in a while the guy will get hit too hard and there will be a non-call....just like in the real NBA. The freestyle gameplay is WAY better than the gameplay of 2K3. There are so many moves with different combinations....not so in 2K3. The gameplay is fast in NBA Live but the scores are realistic when you play 6 minute quarters. When using Dallas I end with scores like 112-104. When using Boston I end up with scores like 84-79. The fast breaks are sweet with teams like Dallas and New Jersey but not so good with teams like Boston and New York....again, realistic.
I will take MVP Baseball over Sega. I played both and decided to go with MVP. And if anybody thinks NCAA Football 2K3 was better than NCAA Football 2003 then you really are on crack.

To each their own but Sega has yet to show me anything. I try and try and try. I gave up buying Sega (except NFL 2K4 for online play). I will rent first for now on but will always buy EA Sports right away....Thank God for EA Sports.

I see this as a very bad thing. EA makes good game and Sega make great games. EA makes ok sports games, Sega puts them to shame. I like some EA games the way they are, i like all Sega games the way they are and that is the way I want it to stay :D

I just saw on Tech TV that the deals seems like it is almost done. This is not going to be good for the xbox. You really think that EA will let Sega's Sports titles dominate theirs? Dont think so....We're going to be stuck with gawd awful M$ sports titles (I.E. Inside Pitch and Fever) UG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOYCOTT EA GAMES! They Suck, and they are too heavy in support of the damned sony playstation. After all have you not heard the recent press release from the new EA information director, Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf.

"Any apparent Xbox live gains, were a cunning ploy by EA to lure the enemy into a trap. "Our sports line according to true figures, are leaving the way open for a total monopoly on gaming in North America."

"Today I have visited whole NewYork city, no Xbox's found. You go and see how we have ousted them from this city. They are cying outside and waiting to receive Playstations. They will be playing sony games shortly."

"I can assure you that those villains will recognize, will discover in appropriate time in the future, how stupid they are and how they are pretending things which have never taken place" (in reference to the widespread use of Xbox Live)

"Those Sony players are slapping those Xbox gangsters on the face, and then when they flee, they will kick their backsides."

"The midget Gates and that villan Xbox deserve only to be beaten with shoes by Playstation loving people everywhere."







http://www.welovetheiraqiinformation...7-minister.jpg

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! As I was reading all that I was like 'wtf is this kid talking about?' That last picture brought it all together though!

It does not really matter since xbox is tha best!