After an unsuccessful bid to take over Take Two, it looks like Electronic Arts may be setting its sights on Ubisoft. Followers of the game industry will remember that EA raised its already hefty 20% stake of voting shares in Ubisoft to nearly 25% in August of 2007. This wasn't long after Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot stated that the company was "still considering" an EA acquisition earlier that year. GameCyte reports that the same proxy registration company that registered eatake2.com, a site used in an attempt to convince shareholders of the merits of an EA acquisition, also registered eaubisoft.com on the same day.Naturally, there's no way to prove that EA is responsible for the registrations -- it was made by proxy after all. Still, given the circumstances and EA's obvious interest in Ubisoft, it certainly makes sense. Stranger things have happened, right?
[Via Joystiq]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2-26-2008 @ 1:17PM
xenocidic said...
man I just hope EA doesn't fuck it up
and I hope they're keeping their madden-stained hands out of BioWare operations too
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2-26-2008 @ 1:26PM
AnOffday said...
I hate EA more everyday.
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2-26-2008 @ 8:04PM
Justin said...
got a similar reaction.
"oh god no."
2-26-2008 @ 1:28PM
Neuromancer said...
I am extremely suspicious of EA and every game they have a hand in. Even though Activision and Ubisoft aren't a whole lot better, I'd like my megalithic game corporations to at least maintain some appearance of fair competition. EA buying Ubisoft would really upset the balance of power here. Here's to hoping it doesn't happen.
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2-26-2008 @ 1:33PM
EdgeOne said...
Note to EA: Spend your resources increasing the quality of your games instead of trying to buy studios that make better games and then bringing them down to your level. Mediocrity is not a marketing plan.
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2-26-2008 @ 1:36PM
qbix said...
Sucks ass. Every time I get a "sign up" screen on EA games I hit "decline". I have refused time after time to allow EA to gather my LIVE account information just so I could enjoy the multiplayer aspects of their games. In fact I try not to buy EA games altogether, but there are some I can't quite resist. And don't get me started about the fact that EA made MS their bitch allowing them to use their own servers for online play which they can turn off when they see fit.
If EA takes over Ubisoft, or Take Two I'm gonna be pissed. We need independent studios, we need games that show quality, and personally, I prefer exclusive titles. I can already see it, Splinter Cell Conviction ported to the PS3 and Wii after all. I hope this deal doesn't happen because as one wise gamer (the pwnerer) once said, "EA can suck both my balls".
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2-26-2008 @ 1:40PM
pandlcg said...
somewhat related question for you: Since EA has all of their own servers, does that mean that i can play EA games online while i have a silver account?
2-26-2008 @ 2:03PM
Mark said...
nope. still need gold
2-26-2008 @ 1:37PM
vanhelsingh said...
I thought they were looking to buy Take2?
link:http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9285&Itemid=2
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2-26-2008 @ 1:38PM
vanhelsingh said...
nevermind, they failed :)
2-26-2008 @ 1:37PM
Rogue Soul said...
Noooooooooooooooooooo!
EA ruin everything they touch.
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2-26-2008 @ 1:38PM
THA1icarus said...
What douse EA want to take over the world. Wow if this happens I'm also going to belief in the one console future.....
EA Box Station anyone???
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2-26-2008 @ 1:39PM
pandlcg said...
I wouldn't say the EA failed in their bid. The stock is still reflecting a probably buyout, maybe even a higher bid (since the current price is higher than what EA offered). EA will buy T2 because there is nothing T2 can do to stop it.
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2-26-2008 @ 1:43PM
JHTM said...
the one that hurt the most was Bioware and Pandemic - if only MS could ve picked those up, im suprised MS Game Studios doesnt look to acquire these people first. Take 2 would be a gr8 acquisition for Bioshock and GTA alone, however if EA gets them (which they can still do via a hostile takeover of share acquisition) we can kiss goodbye to the far better 2k sports games.
Im sure MS have AS deep pockets as EA and could buy such commodities instead of crappy studios like Rare -
all we need now is for EA to buy Epic and maybe add to that Gas Powered Games then EA can screw up every single studio - hell maybe they'll buy MS Game Studios also ??
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2-26-2008 @ 2:21PM
pandlcg said...
I'm sure MS could match the offer, but it becomes a business decision based on returns.
EA would publish the titles on every platform known, while MS would only publish the titles on MS platforms. So basically, even though MS could afford it, EA can offer more money because they can recoup more of that money faster.
The only reason MS would step in would be to hurt Sony and the PS3. That may be enough for some people, but it'd be an experiment in that type of acquisition.
2-26-2008 @ 1:45PM
Bluemanrule said...
According to analysts Michael Patcher, Ubisoft is projected to double its revenue by 2010. Given this prediction, I seriously doubt that EA will reflect this projected value in any pending offer. I doubt this will go anywhere.
Link to Patcher prediction:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6185091.html?tag=result;title;9
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2-26-2008 @ 1:49PM
mattclarkie said...
Please NO. Even though it is run by Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys I like Ubisoft.
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2-26-2008 @ 1:51PM
NitroFrost said...
That would suck
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2-26-2008 @ 2:20PM
Loban said...
NOOOOOOOOO, I actually really like Ubisoft. Is EA trying to literally buy every game company?
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2-26-2008 @ 2:42PM
bugatti23007 said...
EA has made very few must have games like a few James Bond games,Skate,NFL Madden series, and Burnout Paradise.Don't forget EA edited out huge details of their company on Wikipedia.Most of their games have been mediocre to slightly above mediocre.Why can't independent companies just turn down the huge money that EA offers and realize that EA is hurting the game industry by trying to control as many companies as they can.It seems like their attitude is kind of like Enron.
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