EA to buy Ubisoft?

[Cyberwoo]

"Ubisoft Helpless Towards EA

CEO admits the company could be taken over at any time."

 

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3144052

 

Is everyone else as afraid of EA taking over the video game market as much as I am? If EA continues buying people like this I really see the quality of video games taking a huge nose dive in 5-10 years. Its already bad enough. The industry already suffers from sequalitus and mediocricy up the butt. Without competition from other bigtime developers things like creativity and innovation will continue to decline in favor of graphic upgrades and more of the same old same old.

 

I know EA's position in the game industry has been discussed many a time before but I didn't think Ubisoft would enter into these types of talks anytime soon. Ubisoft has attached themselves to some very successful games and I consider them to be one of the bigtime players in the industry. What is going to become of this industry when EA has bought up everyone else? Dont tell me that can't/won't happen because they dont appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The whole thing just pisses me off. I'm almost as pissed at Ubisoft as I am at EA for even conidering a buyout. What is this "we have no choice" bullshit? Of course you do. If the quality of your games was your main priority then this wouldn't even be a topic of discussion. We all know its the money talking here. So dont act like you do not have a choice in the matter. You have the option to tell EA to go #@*! themselves and continue to focus on developing/supporting great games.

 

Whatever. Its not even worth getting upset over anymore. Its inevitable and can't be stopped unless the gaming public wakes up, realizes the problem and stops buying EA products. In other words...EA will continue to dominate for as long as there is a video games industry. The only hope is that sometime in the future some laws get created that prevent companies from becoming monopolies in their industry.

[Camp]

I don't see what the big deal is. As long as the same talent is making Splinter Cell, etc. I could care less which logo is printed on their paycheck. Has EA's purchase of Criterion watered down Burnout Revenge? I think not.

[dogbert]

If the quality of your games was your main priority then this wouldn't even be a topic of discussion.

 

Unfortunately the quality of their games is not their main priority. Why should it be? They are a public company so unfortunately their aim is to maximise shareholder profit.

 

Without competition from other bigtime developers things like creativity and innovation will continue to decline in favor of graphic upgrades and more of the same old same old.

 

The creativity & innovation in this industry tends to come from small teams, small hungry companies, ignoring the likes of Nintendo.

[Ricky G]

Noooooooooooooo!

 

Now we get EA Trax while slinking thru the shadows. :bh

 

For the record, I never buy EA games new. I figure the second-hand market slows them down, if just a little.

[Derrik Draven]

Well...there are many industries where consolidation is seen as a bad thing. There are anti monopoly laws due to the fact that anything being devoid of competition, usually ends up being a pretty negative situation for anyone purchasing a product of the monopoly.

 

If EA can keep swallowing up every promising developer out there...I can't see this as anything but a bad thing.

 

Still...at what point would anti monopoly laws kick in and stop EA? I mean, after all...look at Microsquash.

[GreenMonkey]

I share the low opinion of EA, but they've been doing a lot better. There is a community manager now for Battle For Middle Earth & CnC Generals, who actually goes to the community for input and invited gamereplays.org leadership to a summit to discuss balance and give input on BFME2. They are going to put out a public beta for BFME2, for once. Things are getting better at EA IMO from what I've seen and read, at least on the PC RTS side of things.