Electronic Arts vs Activision Blizzard: Fight! Fight! Fight!
Electronic Arts kicks off the bitch-slapping
Right lads, let's get another game out... heave!
Where we live, words such as, "Everybody is a pussy and we can whip them - and you're no different so, come to Pappa!" would be considered fighting talk.
So, when Reuters quotes vice president of corporate communications at Electronic Arts, Jeff Brown, as saying the following in relation to this weeks news of a merged Activision and Vivendi games, the SPOnG office forns a circle and screams, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Brilliant!
Basically, Electronic Arts has just turned around to everybody else and said, "Y'all are pussies!". Now, on the one hand that is impolite and SPOnG will have no truck with it. On the other hand, however, it's refreshing to see at least one game publisher have the cajones to make a definitive statement.
Once Activision and Vivendi sort out their multi-billion dollar deal, and Electronic incorporates its now measley looking £424m Bioware and Pandemic purchase (reported here) SPOnG predicts a right royal bust up next year.
Let's just hope it's not entirely movie tie-in and sequel related.
Let's also live in the vague, feint hope that Take-Two CEO, Ben Feder, was wrong when he pointed out at a recent UBS investor meeting that, "Video game development is not getting any cheaper. It's a capital-intensive business and I don't see that going away. That will drive some of the smaller competitors out".
SPOnG is not at all confident that we're not going to be reduced to a few mighty, media-corp owned games publishers running sequel after sequel off the factory floor. Maybe we're in a less than positive mood what with all this money sloshing around the place but no one apparently investing anything in really new, really original, potentially - gasp - loss-making product.
Is it time for a genuine Sundance festival equivalent? Are you developing games and think we're talking cock? Is the way the industry is going in terms of original ideas a natural evolution? Tell us in the Forum below.
So, when Reuters quotes vice president of corporate communications at Electronic Arts, Jeff Brown, as saying the following in relation to this weeks news of a merged Activision and Vivendi games, the SPOnG office forns a circle and screams, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
"EA has always performed best when we have a clear competitor and one of the biggest challenges in recent years is that we so far outstripped our competitors that it was hard finding someone to go after."
Brilliant!
Basically, Electronic Arts has just turned around to everybody else and said, "Y'all are pussies!". Now, on the one hand that is impolite and SPOnG will have no truck with it. On the other hand, however, it's refreshing to see at least one game publisher have the cajones to make a definitive statement.
Once Activision and Vivendi sort out their multi-billion dollar deal, and Electronic incorporates its now measley looking £424m Bioware and Pandemic purchase (reported here) SPOnG predicts a right royal bust up next year.
Let's just hope it's not entirely movie tie-in and sequel related.
Let's also live in the vague, feint hope that Take-Two CEO, Ben Feder, was wrong when he pointed out at a recent UBS investor meeting that, "Video game development is not getting any cheaper. It's a capital-intensive business and I don't see that going away. That will drive some of the smaller competitors out".
SPOnG is not at all confident that we're not going to be reduced to a few mighty, media-corp owned games publishers running sequel after sequel off the factory floor. Maybe we're in a less than positive mood what with all this money sloshing around the place but no one apparently investing anything in really new, really original, potentially - gasp - loss-making product.
Is it time for a genuine Sundance festival equivalent? Are you developing games and think we're talking cock? Is the way the industry is going in terms of original ideas a natural evolution? Tell us in the Forum below.
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Comments
SuperSaiyan4 4 Dec 2007 13:52
1/4
Looking at what Activision offer and Blizzard have EA is up for some challenge.
Activision gave us the amazing COD4 which is a lot better than many EA games thats for sure.
Then you have Blizzard with highly addictive and evil (hahaha) World of warcraft.
But then I am sure Blizzard are working on a Diablo 3 and I really really hope its NOT MMO.
Overall I think Activision and Blizzard will give us even more amazing games and new titles rather than doing an EA and buying up other 3rd party developers and making shoddy horrible games.
I am however upset that EA bought out Bioware but Bioware did state that they will be left alone to work on their titles - here is hoping thats true!
What is worrying is EA have soo many franchises and developers but why are their games not that great? Yet people still buy their games and continue to complain.
Activision gave us the amazing COD4 which is a lot better than many EA games thats for sure.
Then you have Blizzard with highly addictive and evil (hahaha) World of warcraft.
But then I am sure Blizzard are working on a Diablo 3 and I really really hope its NOT MMO.
Overall I think Activision and Blizzard will give us even more amazing games and new titles rather than doing an EA and buying up other 3rd party developers and making shoddy horrible games.
I am however upset that EA bought out Bioware but Bioware did state that they will be left alone to work on their titles - here is hoping thats true!
What is worrying is EA have soo many franchises and developers but why are their games not that great? Yet people still buy their games and continue to complain.
OptimusP 4 Dec 2007 17:23
2/4
EA does have a lot of very competent teams but these teams are most of time (think 90% of the time) restricted in their development time. Think it in this way.
"hey EA Canada, we want you to make game X and it needs to be finished at date Y"
That's why a lot of EA games have so many technical mistakes in them, they don't get the time to iron them out.
"hey EA Canada, we want you to make game X and it needs to be finished at date Y"
That's why a lot of EA games have so many technical mistakes in them, they don't get the time to iron them out.
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Happydwarf 4 Dec 2007 20:12
3/4
SuperSaiyan4 wrote:
Looking at what Activision offer and Blizzard have EA is up for some challenge.
Activision gave us the amazing COD4 which is a lot better than many EA games thats for sure.
Activision gave us the amazing COD4 which is a lot better than many EA games thats for sure.
Umm Crysis.... much better that COD4 me thinks. I know it's massivly buggy (typical EA) but its still out and out the most fun I have had in years. It requires a monster spec PC and the developers have said it's going to take 2 years for hardware to catch up to run it with all the pretties but the game is really is worth it. I'm not saying that COD4 is bad, i love the game but Crysis has brought a new interaction and visual standard to games and it's shown what HD gaming is all about. Lots of respect for EA for backing that one. Just a shame that EA have nothing else in there games catalog that really stands out from the last 12 months. Oh and I'll never forgive EA for what they did to Timesplitters Future Perfect... sob sob.
I just hope that EA improve there quality standards, but the same goes for Codemasters and THQ. I've only just got D.I.R.T. to run on my system and Stalker just naused me right off, it wasn't till the third patch the game bacame truly playable (quick saves were enabled).
Lets just hope the Activision blizzard partnership means we start getting games that are 100% working and tested on release rather than the current releases that you need to wait 6 months for a patch.
SuperSaiyan4 5 Dec 2007 09:18
4/4
Well Cod4 seemed to have got more reviews and is played more than Crysis perhaps because of its requirements and not everyone is willing to spend loads of cash to beef up a PC where you could buy a games console for the same money in usual cases.
Anyhow Crysis is made by Crytek and published by EA.
Isnt COD4 made by Activision?
Overall EA seem to buy up other developers franchises and usually f**k it up, the original Burnout games were great and I mean 1 & 2 once EA got in the ones after that werent soo good.
EA couldnt make a decent game to save their business, thats why they just buy up everyone else and put their name on the front.
Anyhow Crysis is made by Crytek and published by EA.
Isnt COD4 made by Activision?
Overall EA seem to buy up other developers franchises and usually f**k it up, the original Burnout games were great and I mean 1 & 2 once EA got in the ones after that werent soo good.
EA couldnt make a decent game to save their business, thats why they just buy up everyone else and put their name on the front.