joelface

Maybe he is just a really big EA fanboy (?) That or he just wants more money...I don't know...

kylo4

reptile168

StartRunning

Consumers only are loyal to an ailing brand for so long.

fenderfuel08

SSJPabs

Well i'm afraid we'll just have to wait and see what the future brings. I'm still keeping a positive mind and hope EA will do good. If not. Dibs on the pitchfork.

Cchrist

This guy sues Take-Two because they don't want to merge.

And if they do merge, then other stockholders will sue over the merger.

I've seen this with just about every public merger. It's par for the course.

smcallah

Here it is again: [kotaku.com]

EA, the giant publishing umbrella corporation, is continuing to buy developing companies out in order to 'maximize' 'their' revenue. Their self-determined agenda is to cash in on these developers' ideas and create a timetable for their next works.

Expedited development doesn't lead to quality content.
Niether does an over abundance of over-priced DLC that should be treated as part of the retail game to begin with.

Arttemis

Entegy

rainofwalrus

The thing I do applaud Take-Two, the publisher, for is that they were willing to give Rockstar, the developer, all the resources required for completing the game to the point of their own satisfaction, not being rushed on a timetable and sequel-schedule that EA is famous for creating.

Arttemis

rainofwalrus

Tizlor

@Cchrist: Tiger Woods. Paying for levels found on the disc on a game that is essentially broken (Though they probably released a patch or something, I just stopped paying attention) is kinda bs. People are more worried about EA ruining potential though, not actual games where they just wandered in and beat the shit out of the design team. By eliminating competitors, they don't have to try.

rdj

My point is I think this is more a battle between two predators perceiving weakness rather than a beleagured-by-brilliant little guy being picked on.

Evdor

Cchrist

EA is ruining the market every time they absorb a company. People are concerned when a company that makes good games (Bioware) is bought out. And given EA's track record with the companies they bought out who wouldn't be concerned? Take 2 puts out quality games (Bioshock, GTA) while EA just pulls them out of their ass (The Sims SnapCity, The Sims 2 add on packs).

Fireblast

canchegundam

ShaggyB

Go Team Venture

catapult37

Surely as a shareholder he should know that come the end of April those share prices are going to go through the roof.

Dajmin

Yeah thats what i meant with "I don't think EA is stopping other companies from making sports games."

By wich i meant that sure they own the rights to all big sports names but it doesn't stop other companies from making games involving the same sports. Look at Pro Evo Soccer (winning eleven.)

Cchrist

As i said EA will be stopped if they're really doing something wrong. I try to see things from the positive side y'know? EA can make good games and i hope they keep making more. I like EA mostly because in the past year they deliverd 2 games i really really like namely skate and burnout paradise.

And are you saying i should be banned for making a couple of sarcastic comments? That's not really nice. I was being sarcastic because
A: i don't think saying someone should die or fail is an awful thing to say and
B: i think saying an orginisation is corrupt without proof is equally awful.
I'm not trying to win over a crowd i'm just reacting in a way i normally do. I know i don't always come over as a nice person but i don't think i'm that bad that i should be banned.

And if you're not saying i should be banned then never mind.

Cchrist

not calling shinanagins on this just saying its quite bizarre and almost unreasonable for this to happen all of a sudden.

IcerDragoon

OPINION: EA is terrible for gaming and their undying persistence to acquire companies and licenses is frustrating because it kills all competition in the industry. SOME of us love gaming and would love nothing more than to have greater competition and smaller companies making games they want to work on because it encourages innovation and lowers the cost of gaming.

Next time, try and read the whole comment which addressed the point you had made in your post.

nintend0nick

This and this (in their respective order).

Arttemis

First, it's a ridiculous notion to call for people to stop bashing a company like EA after their long-standing and openly admitted track record of [citing]absorbing companies and then dissembling them into no more than product placement devices for their company logo --- as well as leading the forefront for [citing]selling ridiculous amounts of DLC concurrently with the release of a game, instead of including it with the actual retail copy.
A lot of people don't like that.
How you're fond of this company is beyond me, and personally, I don't care to know.

Also, this is a blog site with the ability to comment; calling for people to stop voicing their opinions is equally as absurd as the the notion of homogenized annual sequels.

Secondly, you dismiss EA's practices as nothing more than "trying to make a buck," and going as far as saying "they need to do stuff like this to stay alive." Whatever logic you've used to come to this conclusion is clearly buried under some fundamentally greed-driven philosophy.
When no other company is allowed to create an NFL game, I don't see how anyone is benefited.

Companies used to compete with each other by creating better, cheaper products. Clearly, when there are people with mind-sets such as yours, it's no reason why this business model has changed so drastically.

Capitalism isn't inherently wrong (I'd say Henry Ford showcased its most positive aspects), but when the focus of companies is no longer winning over the consumer, this is what we're left with.

Thirdly, this string of sardonic comments doesn't seem to be doing much to "win over the crowd," as you so eloquently put it.

Why is this even an issue in your mind? If people merely had discussions about the topics at hand, instead of trying to garner support with quick, ignorant, and sarcastic remarks, I'm positive there'd be less of a need for Kotaku to work so heavily on banning stupid commenters.

Arttemis

This is a perfect example of their aggressive, hostile mentality. This is about money and power, not creativity, not the product, and not the consumer. This is about EA needing to dominate and control everything. This is something, for the sake of the future of games as any kind of medium, that we should all be afraid of.

Cola82

Raziel Dune

If the rest of the shareholders felt the same way, wouldn't EA have a controlling interest in Take Two by now?

The fact that this hasn't happened yet speaks to the validity of the guys case. Good luck with that lawsuit though!

stranger

If you can't beat'em, buy'em seems to be the best tactic in the corporate world.

Trowble (XBL/PSN)

Time and again we've watched that company swallow up smaller groups that were just fine as they were, but couldn't stand up to the big guns that EA brought to bear on them; then, after the acquisition, the IP(s) that the smaller groups had disappear off the face of the map, or the entire staff who worked on a game is fired and replaced for the sequel...EA has a bad habit of destroying good IP, while simultaneously seeming to spend all of their time pumping out the newest year's worth of sports titles.

Any company or IP that is about to get bought out by EA is in danger of being transformed into something very different from what it started as. Sometimes this is a good thing, such as C&C: RA2 (I think that was published after Westwood went EA...someone correct me if not). Other times, it isn't. Nobody knows for sure what EA plans to do with T2 once they get their hands on it, but there is cause for concern.

Norellicus

j14rk1n

z0phi3l

Cchrist

sitsalot

kitkatu

sitsalot

pangbulle

testmunky

kitkatu

Yep, pretty much.

kitkatu

Just another reason why I dislike the stock market, but not enough of a reason to take my money out of certain holdings. Damn you integrity, you and filthy morals!

invictus

This situation needs some development really quickly, I hope today's meeting will prove fruitful.

Mokona

Cchrist

I guess im deluded, or maybe its just I forgot to put on my tin foil hat this morning?

Ginetta

SAKY

And if the shareholders are unhappy, it's going to be that much easier for EA to actually seal the deal.

antialias02

kitkatu

Anyway i don't think that EA is stopping other companies from making sports games.

Cchrist

tomsamson

Cchrist

1) Convince your share holders it's a bad idea
2) Make good products and make money
3) Don't sell stocks

Manny

NoBullet

I don't really consider Take Two a fantastic company either, but this buyout will KILL sports gaming. No competition = no innovation. Gaming is already growing so damn stale the last thing we need are all of these mergers that put too many people under the umbrella of few major corporations (EA, Actiblizzion).

nintend0nick

merck

SpishackCola

Spiderbait

NKato

Automageddon!

Aith

Remember, EA has something of a Midas/Death Touch to everything it comes into contact with. 50/50 chance of the new properties they acquire dying a horrible death.

NKato

Cchrist

Our economy survives with COMPETITION from one another, and if there's a monopoly, then there's a problem. I mean, hellO? Windows Vista, anyone?

NKato

That makes sense too, thank you for the explanation.

NeoAkira

Their stocks shot up when Mass Effect sold well, and if they get their hands on Take Two, their stocks will shoot up even more.

Unfortunately, our government regulation system does not work very well in software industries. Hence why Microsoft wasn't broken up into smaller companies when the antitrust suit failed.

So, yeah. EA is getting pretty dumb right now, and I'm not really pleased with the shareholder's lawsuit either. He obviously doesn't realize that he would make cash by simply waiting for Grand Theft Auto to release, then stocks go up, sell, simple.

Alas, some human beings are the lowest of the low.

NKato

TomHayden

They are a publicly traded company. There's no such thing as "not for sale".

Manny

"a breach of fiduciary duty"? Like, "my free money isn't coming in hand over fist enough, and it's YOUR job to make my money happen, and fast"?

If there's anything I can't stand more than Capitalists, it's self-important but in actuality useless do-nothings that think they're King Shit of Turd Castle, and also that they should be rich just for being alive and an American.

DanimalJenkins

Wolfenburg

Some of you guys are like the goth kid that bitches about their favourite band going commercial and selling alot of records.

EA is a multinational million dollar company. They need to do stuff like this to stay alive. Welcome to the world of buisness.

Cchrist

SpishackCola

Ok quick stock valuation lesson for ya and others here. When you buy a stock and you want to know how much you are paying for it from a valuation standpoint, its usually done by taking the estimated company earnings and multiplying it by a certain multiple.

These estimated earnings that you use are usually ONE YEAR FORWARD earnings. Meaning, people who have bought this stock already are looking into 2009 earnings. You dont buy a stock on common knowledge, there's no edge. People who own the stock already know GTA is going to be popular and already have the revenue associated with the product cooked into their earnings estimates. GTA is already reflected in the stock valuation, as I believe the previous article here stated.

Ginetta

Woodwater

If you are so desperate to sell for some quick cash then at least wait until GTA comes out, the first week passes THEN sell. I am not a stock market expert but i do know that a company putting out a game that can and will sell multiples of millions in 1 day alone will do SOMETHING (positive) for a companies quote.

Zaos

What is this management team doing?, all they had to do in the board meeting was scan the copy of Variety and stick in the shareholder's faces.

Yes, Strauss gets a big whoo-deed-do, but my god; Bioshock and GTA just started to flicker. Get spieldberdego and the writer of Seven to take a dip into Rapture; the man is making a game already.

Fyren

Vidril

If this is a guy that wants to hold on to stocks for years hoping for a company to build into something huge then he has every right to voice his complaint it meetings, private correspondence, or legal action. The main duty of a publicly traded company is to their stakeholders (stock holders, bond holders, employees, pretty much anyone that depends on the company in some way). T2 is free to run the business however they want as they are the managers (but don't own all of the company), but if a stakeholder feels the company isn't holding up its end of the bargain (improving the company is whatever aspect they feel is most important), they have a list of things they can do to make their displeasure known. This guy has chosen litigation over other options.

SpishackCola

Ginetta

As Leigh so eloquently put last time, Zelnick was brought in to add value to Take Two and in essence prime it for a takeover.

EA just jumped the gun early which did not please Zelnick. They are trying everything they can to slow EA down at this point.

The shareholders have every right to be wary of Zelnick's intentions - they are afraid that he may cost them a lot of money by rejecting the EA deal outright.

@badasscat: That's easy - it is for publicity prior to the shareholder's meeting. If it comes out that the person in question bought his shares after the EA bid, then I'm sure that will make a big difference.

Spoony Bard

I was going to pick up POrtal yesterday, then I saw the EA at the bottom of the security sticker. Picked up Sins of a Solar Empire instead.

arstal

Me head hurts

Shnyzx

If T2's directors - who are the ones most directly involved in this type of decision - were rejecting an offer that would benefit those shareholders, and doing so because of self-interest (i.e. knowing that EA will replace them as directors after the buyout), then they would be violating that duty, and a shareholder would have a legal claim against the directors.

Proving that would be difficult, however, as there would be many legitimate reasons to reject a buyout.

seafisch

You hate Destructoid now, Leigh!

:(

topgeargorilla

TomHayden

A company refusing to give away ownership? HOW DARE THEY!

Ryumeka

The thing is, Take Two is stretching it until next weeks when GTA is out and the money pours in and the shares go up. Then they can say "see, the stock value is much higher than what EA offered". Until then, all they can do is stall.

Andy D.

Dakobah

I can see where the shareholders who WANT to sell their shares to EA at EA's price have a case. They are in it for the money, and at least if you believe in capitalism that is a vaild argument.

Personally, I feel that having more companies producing products is a better plan than having only one or two companies, but the investors in most cases don't give a hang - they just want to make money.
This is why government regulation can be a very good thing, ladies and gentlemen.

hogarth1

In 12 days T2 will be launching a killer App. its not supposition, its a fact.

There is no way GTA4 is going to bomb, and EA needs succeed in this acquisition NOW.

Or the price of one of gamings best developers will go up.

JermExMachina

NeoAkira

There's nothing shady about EA's tactics. EA tried to cooperate with T2 in the merger but T2 refused. EA is now bypassing the board and directly asking the shareholders to sell their stocks to EA. They'll sell only if they think EA made a good offer - there's no bullying to this.

Tannhauser23

Remember to mark for spoilers next time.

Kanik

mescalineeyes

TomHayden

Have you noticed how in all their statements, EA is acting kinda *****y trying to act like they are a kind step dad trying to help out some troubled kids and the kid (take two) is being a stuborn jerk at their own expense.

While T2 is doing some shady stuff... it wouldn't have come around had EA not tried to take over... And EA is/are? no company to hold in high regard

Scruffylookin13

The shareholders *are* the company in a publicly owned corporation. They are the owners.

The guy's lawsuit is probably ridiculous, but it's the shareholders that any company has to answer to.

The post is right in questioning why this wasn't just brought up at the shareholder meeting rather than in a lawsuit, though.

badasscat

Isn't Microsoft "the Microsoft" of gaming?

Nitemare1

kitkatu

Mricci424

I really try not to buy their games unless absolutely necessary now.

I know I'm not making a big difference, but we have to start somewhere.

I hope GTA4 gives them enough money to fight these guys off.

Woodwater

clicky

iGRIND

seems EA is being the bully here by making T2 sell when it obvious they have a sign "not for sale" posted on there doors.

on a side note i was reading your post and im not making fun of it but i was wondering what would be the proper symantics

" Why take Take-Two to court rather than......."

or should it be

"Why Take-Two to court rather than simply....."

lol just wondering.

Dakobah

Jackel2072