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Electronic Arts buys Digital Illusions

F

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
Well, I guess now it's set in stone.

http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...8Z_01_WEN6243_RTRUKOC_0_US-ELECTRONICARTS.xml

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Electronic Arts (ERTS.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday that it had bought Sweden's Digital Illusions CE, or DICE, known for the Battlefield game franchise, for about 175.5 million SEK ($24 mln).

DICE will become an Electronic Arts studio that works on the Battlefield franchise and developing new products, the company said.

Redwood City, California-based Electronic Arts said it had paid SEK 67.50 ($9.23) to DICE's shareholders, representing 2.6 million shares.

(1 SEK=$0.1367)
Click to expand...

Goodbye DI, it was nice to meet you.
 
S

snatches

Member
anotheronebitesthedust.mp3

If EA really wanted to shake the earth they should buy a premium Japanese development house. That would help expand their markets. But DICE is a great acquisition and Battlefield is a great series. Those holding out for another Rallisport AM CRY.
 
G

GotchaForce

Member
10 years from now the 3rd party battles will be these two: EA/Bungie/Blizzard/ID/Bioware/Bethesda vs SquareEnix/Capcom/Namco/Konami/Sega
 
O

op_ivy

Fallen Xbot (cannot continue gaining levels in this class)
i'd really like to know who from the rsc team actually went on to the sega rally revo team. i've heard its a fairly significant amount, but i dont know what thats based on. anyone have more concrete info?
 
Dr. Kitty Muffins

Dr. Kitty Muffins

Member
I would like to see two good small or medium sized developers merge this gen.

This gen the theme seems to be "merge or die".............along with "rape prices". :lol
 
O

op_ivy

Fallen Xbot (cannot continue gaining levels in this class)
Sugarman said:
10 years from now the 3rd party battles will be these two: EA/Bungie/Blizzard/ID/Bioware/Bethesda vs SquareEnix/Capcom/Namco/Konami/Sega
Click to expand...

um, bungie? not likely :)
 
D

Draft

Member
Netrunner2k2 said:
No Valve?
Click to expand...
There are some companies so rich that I just can't see them ever being bought. Valve is one. Epic is another. I'd put Blizzard on the list too but I think Vivendi owns them already.
 
R

RyuHayate

Member
Sugarman said:
10 years from now the 3rd party battles will be these two: EA/Bungie/Blizzard/ID/Bioware/Bethesda vs SquareEnix/Capcom/Namco/Konami/Sega
Click to expand...

With the exception of Bungie, I have to agree with you.
 
N

nubbe

Member
I hope the government retaliate this hostile action on our fair state.

But I guess not since the blood sucking conservatives won the election :mad:
 
O

op_ivy

Fallen Xbot (cannot continue gaining levels in this class)
nubbe said:
I hope the government retaliate this hostile action on our fair state.

But I guess not since the blood sucking conservatives won the election :mad:
Click to expand...

IAWTP
 
T

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Hooray, another talented developer, relegated to an existence of sequel pumping and mediocrity.

And people claim EA isn't innovating. How about 25 more battlefield games?! NOW THAT'S INNOVATING.
 
Joe Molotov

Joe Molotov

Member
TheTrin said:
Hooray, another talented developer, relegated to an existence of sequel pumping and mediocrity.

And people claim EA isn't innovating. How about 25 more battlefield games?! NOW THAT'S INNOVATING.
Click to expand...

As if that makes them different from any other publisher. :lol

Square-Enix: How about Final Fantasy 14? Dragon Quest 9 perhaps?

GAF: OH YES PLEASE!!!! *pre-orders $70 Special Edition Tin*
 
Z

Zeed

Banned
Joe Molotov said:
As if that makes them different from any other publisher. :lol

Square-Enix: How about Final Fantasy 14? Dragon Quest 9 perhaps?

GAF: OH YES PLEASE!!!! *pre-orders $70 Special Edition Tin*
Click to expand...
To be fair, FFX, FFXI, and FFXII are all pretty radically different.
 
M

Matt

Member
This is my running list of everyone EA has ever bought:

-Hypnotix
-Maxis
-Distinctive Software
-Black Box Games
-Dreamworks Interactive
-JAMDAT Mobile
-Bullfrog Productions
-Studio 33
-NuFX
-Digital Illustions CE
-Origin Systems
-Manley & Associates
-Westwood
-Tiburon Entertainment
-Part of Virgin Interactive
-20% of Ubi
-Mythic
-Criterion Games
-Phenomic Game Development

Incredible, to say the least.
 
P

PnCIa

Member
Battlefield "no one the **** cares" 2142 addon featuring 2 new weapon textures+2 new maps at a 25$ pricepoint is coming. Prepare for Battlefield: Bad Company (crap name) weapons and vehicles microtransactions...
etc :(
 
D

dskillzhtown

keep your strippers out of my American football
TheTrin said:
Hooray, another talented developer, relegated to an existence of sequel pumping and mediocrity.

And people claim EA isn't innovating. How about 25 more battlefield games?! NOW THAT'S INNOVATING.
Click to expand...


Yeah, this industry isn't about sequel pumping. Don't try to single out EA for something the entire industry is guilty of. If THQ or Ubisoft would have bought them, it would be the exact same thing.
 
G

Guns N' Poops

Banned
Matt said:
This is my running list of everyone EA has ever bought:

-Hypnotix
-Maxis
-Distinctive Software
-Black Box Games
-Dreamworks Interactive
-JAMDAT Mobile
-Bullfrog Productions
-Studio 33
-NuFX
-Digital Illustions CE
-Origin Systems
-Manley & Associates
-Westwood
-Tiburon Entertainment
-Part of Virgin Interactive
-20% of Ubi
-Mythic
-Criterion Games
-Phenomic Game Development

Incredible, to say the least.
Click to expand...

And Crytek is rumoured.
 
T

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
dskillzhtown said:
Yeah, this industry isn't about sequel pumping. Don't try to single out EA for something the entire industry is guilty of. If THQ or Ubisoft would have bought them, it would be the exact same thing.
Click to expand...

I hate Ubi and THQ, as well. I do love Capcom, though, despite their notorious sequel pumping.

Joe Molotov said:
As if that makes them different from any other publisher. :lol

Square-Enix: How about Final Fantasy 14? Dragon Quest 9 perhaps?

GAF: OH YES PLEASE!!!! *pre-orders $70 Special Edition Tin*
Click to expand...

Other than the name and a few thematic similarities, FF games are not really sequels of each other. They tend to be vastly different in gameplay.

I won't defend SE though. Their shit needs to stop too.
 
L

luffeN

Member
Joe Molotov said:
Yeah, this is uber-old. DICE has been in EA's pocket for years, so this hardly changes anything.

February 2003 Article
January 2005 Article
March 2006 Article
Click to expand...

every article you present here just shows that EA everytime bought parts of their shareholders. the news in the topic shows the complete overtake from EA, so now they own them completely, so its not exactly that old ;)

edit: but you are right, it hardly changes anything, as they have programmed for ea since 2003
 
N

nubbe

Member
Well, actually... I'm boycotting EA because they aren't making sequels!

Wing Commander, Privateer, Dungeon Keeper, Syndicate, Bioforge, NHL 94, Ultima Online 2, Ultima, Strike Commander, Pacific Strike, Crusader…

Bastards
 
T

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
nubbe said:
Well, actually... I'm boycotting EA because they aren't making sequels!

Wing Commander, Privateer, Dungeon Keeper, Syndicate, Bioforge, NHL 94, Ultima Online 2, Ultima, Strike Commander, Pacific Strike, Crusader…

Bastards
Click to expand...

Haha, I think I would love them more if they just gave those to the right groups. They really should just sell dungeon keeper to lionhead and Crusader and Syndicate to...hmm...someone. Let me think about that. :S
 
P

PantherLotus

Professional Schmuck
The strategy is clearly about eliminating all future competition before they become competition, or as someone earlier mentioned, potentially joining forces.

At some point they'll need to look to the east, at least IMO. Possibly pick up some Nanaca Crash developer or some goofy shit like that.
 
element

element

Member
what i find amazing it they sold for roughly $25m, while Harmonix sold for $175m. DICE have had far better hits then anything Harmonix has done.

I guess Harmonix got the more insane deal ever.
 
M

Matt

Member
element said:
what i find amazing it they sold for roughly $25m, while Harmonix sold for $175m. DICE have had far better hits then anything Harmonix has done.

I guess Harmonix got the more insane deal ever.
Click to expand...
Like I said, EA has been buying DICE shares for a while now, this final move was just buying out the last non-EA shares.
 
H

HomerSimpson-Man

Member
TheTrin said:
I hate Ubi and THQ, as well. I do love Capcom, though, despite their notorious sequel pumping.



Other than the name and a few thematic similarities, FF games are not really sequels of each other. They tend to be vastly different in gameplay.

I won't defend SE though. Their shit needs to stop too.
Click to expand...

It's a naming method, don't miss with something tied and true.

Could easily just name all of them differently....but why bother, Square Enix is an RPG company either way, and they allocate the most resources to their main IP names. Though each individual FF can be it's own IP in and itself, FFVII being the most obvious one since they are actually diving into that one.
 
M

Matt

Member
Dr. Kitty Muffins said:
I would like to see two good small or medium sized developers merge this gen.

This gen the theme seems to be "merge or die".............along with "rape prices". :lol
Click to expand...
That has already happened. Pandemic/Bioware anyone?
 
C

CabbageRed

Member
Scotch said:
Origin
Bullfrog
Maxis
DICE
Click to expand...

Maxis isn't dead though. The expansion packs are actually irritating (horse armor for $5? Hah, we've got horse armor and new wallpaper for $20!) but at least some of those have been handled by other devs. Sims, Sims 2, and Spore make Maxis the exception to the rule, IMO. Plus spore must be costing a fortune. So long as I get my PC version, EA is more than welcome to release cutesy action versions for as many handhelds as they can find. :p
 
element

element

Member
Matt said:
Like I said, EA has been buying DICE shares for a while now, this final move was just buying out the last non-EA shares.
Click to expand...
so it was $25m for the outstanding 2.6m shares?
anyone know the total price paid?
 
J

jj984jj

He's a pretty swell guy in my books anyway.
Sugarman said:
10 years from now the 3rd party battles will be these two: EA/Bungie/Blizzard/ID/Bioware/Bethesda vs SquareEnix/Capcom/Namco/Konami/Sega
Click to expand...
A bunch of western developers will battle a bunch of Japanese publishers? o_O

More like EA/Activision/THQ/Take Two/Midway/Ubisoft vs. Square-Enix/Capcom/Bandai-Namco/Konami/Sega.
 
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