Could EA Publish GTAIV?
See Full ImageEverybody has been talking about EA's bid to takeover Take-Two Interactive, and that includes the industry's most prominent analysts. These analysts have concluded that the deal might go through in time for EA to have their name on the box for Grand Theft Auto IV and Manhunt 2, according to MCVUK. That's right, GTAIV might be published by Electronic Arts.
"I do believe GTA IV will be an EA game," said GameShadow and Lodestar freelance analyst Nicholas Lovell. "Whether it is the same game that it would have been under Take Two remains to be seen. I could also imagine EA trying to keep the Rockstar brand as an edgier label, in the same way that wholesome, family-friendly Disney released films like Pulp Fiction or Gangs of New York under the Miramax label."
Obviously, one of the biggest reasons EA wants to acquire Take-Two is so they can take advantage of the massively popular GTA franchise, but they'll need to move quickly if they want to cash in on GTAIV. Parker Consulting's Nick Parker had this to say in regards to the timing of the potential purchase:
"The timing is crucial – hostile bids can take a long time to resolve and who knows T2 may be successful in defending it. If EA succeeds, it should benefit from some of the GTAIV revenues although the reason to buy T2 should be based on longer term potential of all IPs, not just on this year’s results."
On the other hand, some analysts don't agree that this deal will go through in time for EA to publish GTAIV. Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter is one of them, as he believes this takeover won't be officially completed for "two or three months." DFC Intelligence's president David Cole sided with Pachter and said a "takeover like this will take some time." Even so, it goes without saying that EA would like to tap as much of the GTAIV honey pot as humanly possible, so it'll be a race to see if EA gets their name on the box. Could it really happen...?
Related Game(s): Grand Theft Auto IV
3/20/2008 Ben Dutka
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Comments (17 posts)
Minishmaru
Thursday, March 20, 2008 @ 2:16:27 PM
2 up, 0 down
bamf
Thursday, March 20, 2008 @ 3:09:37 PM
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Deleted User
Thursday, March 20, 2008 @ 3:13:59 PM
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2 up, 1 down
Zapix
Thursday, March 20, 2008 @ 4:19:49 PM
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OtisFeelgood
Thursday, March 20, 2008 @ 5:05:57 PM
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1 up, 0 down
BlinkBoy
Thursday, March 20, 2008 @ 5:26:36 PM
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They can't buy love from gamers with GTAIV
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bonifidehustla
Thursday, March 20, 2008 @ 5:38:51 PM
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Thursday, March 20, 2008 @ 6:46:16 PM
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Unless EA wants to take over the development process for GTA, gamers aren't going to notice much of anything different. Publishing and developing are two very different things; people seem to forget that very often.
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dillonthebunny
Thursday, March 20, 2008 @ 7:07:34 PM
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i feel thats exactly what happened to Burnout.
they would cut production costs, bring forward release dates and put in advertising from the real world in these make believe games.
and what about games like LA Noir.. would EA suddenly feel that it should be an Xbox title too, to make maximum revenue, thus making the PS3 version smaller to match that of what they can fit on the 360?
i agree that EA will to some extent leave R* alone to get on with things, but like an annoying sod, they will stick their oar in, and personally i think they will in some ways affect the quality of R*'s games.
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Thursday, March 20, 2008 @ 8:53:09 PM
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But while I know that everyone is always down on EA for making games, there's no denying they're one of the best publishers in the world. They'll be plenty capable of producing a GTA game, and I don't believe they'll start issuing ultimatums that would force Rockstar to rush and make something sub-par. It's just detrimental for everybody involved.
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K Phantom
Thursday, March 20, 2008 @ 9:59:21 PM
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Mystearica
Friday, March 21, 2008 @ 9:07:40 AM
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NIGHT CREEPER
Sunday, March 23, 2008 @ 5:11:04 PM
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PaiNT_kinG
Monday, March 24, 2008 @ 12:39:04 AM
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Mojo
Monday, March 24, 2008 @ 4:26:19 PM
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ThePoetRazel
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Thursday, March 20, 2008 @ 1:54:52 PM
Maybe they should try making a good game for once, cos stealing other people's hard work is a tactic that can't be sustained.