Take-Two secures MLBP, MLBAM licenses

SackAttack · 02-02-2005, 12:36 AM

As with the MLBPA deal, the MLBP/MLBAM licensing deals set Take-Two up as "third party exclusive publishers," with exclusive rights to use MLBP properties (team names, logos, etc), and MLB Advanced Media content, which is a little more nebulous. This also means Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft may publish baseball titles, if they so choose, but among third parties, Take-Two is it. EA won't be able to 'co-brand' their game with Microsoft, for instance, to circumvent the licensing restrictions. The deals are apparently for either 7 or 8 years in duration (the MLBPA deal was 5 years, if I recall rightly).

The licenses also apparently include exclusive PC rights, so I suspect we're going to see Take-Two publishing Major League Baseball 2k6 on PC, where Sega would never have done so.

Perhaps most encouraging, Take-Two apparently intends to include "manager-style games" among their myriad baseball offerings (including baseball titles for the PSP and DS, hooray).

And, finally, Take-Two plans to release games year-round, rather than just in the spring. Could be an interesting move, particularly their plans to target the holidays. Not sure how well that will work out with football and basketball in full swing, but we'll find out, I suppose.

My biggest question in all of this is, with the third-party rights secured, is Take-Two going to take on Nintendo's recently-announced baseball game, or just focus on PS2, Xbox, DS, PSP, PC, and the next-gen consoles?

SackAttack · 02-02-2005, 12:40 AM

Dola,

The license agreements kick in for the 2006 season, so we'll see an MVP title this year, and then that's all she wrote for the next half-decade.

SackAttack · 02-02-2005, 11:28 AM

bump for the morning crowd.

General Mike · 02-02-2005, 11:39 AM

good stuff. Way to stick it to EA, Take-Two.

cuervo72 · 02-02-2005, 11:41 AM

This is just screaming for a Take-Two secures NAMBLA licenses thread, but it would require too much seedy research, and the thought police probably wouldn't approve anyway.

cody8200 · 02-02-2005, 12:17 PM

UGGGH. All of this shit fucking sucks. Screw take 2.

SackAttack · 02-02-2005, 12:22 PM

They didn't start it, cody. They're doin' what they have to in order to keep EA from muscling them out of the other sports the way they did in football. It's all well and good for Take-Two to stay "virtuous" and let EA snap up what's left of the non-exclusive sports, but it's worth noting that if you martyr yourself, you're not gonna sell video games.

sterlingice · 02-02-2005, 12:58 PM

Ooh. A manager style handheld game. That's the big thing I'm looking forward to out of this press release. That's the perfect thing to play when I usually play my SP (usually for a half hour or hour before I go to sleep so turn based games like Pokemon and M&L:SS are great for that- right now I'm on AW2).

SI

SackAttack · 02-02-2005, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Ooh. A manager style handheld game. That's the big thing I'm looking forward to out of this press release. That's the perfect thing to play when I usually play my SP (usually for a half hour or hour before I go to sleep so turn based games like Pokemon and M&L:SS are great for that- right now I'm on AW2).

SI

How awesome would that be? I don't know if we can expect something quite THAT cool out of this deal, but if an FOF/FM-style baseball game for DS or PSP came out of this? That'd make the whole ordeal worth it, right there.

02-02-2005, 11:39 AM	#4
General Mike Pro Starter Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: The State of Rutgers	good stuff. Way to stick it to EA, Take-Two. __________________ Boise Stampede Continental Football League Jacksonville Jaguars GM North American Football League Nebraska Coach FOFC-BBCF Rutgers & Washington coach Bowl Bound-BBCF

02-02-2005, 11:41 AM	#5
cuervo72 Head Coach Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Maryland	This is just screaming for a Take-Two secures NAMBLA licenses thread, but it would require too much seedy research, and the thought police probably wouldn't approve anyway. __________________ null

02-02-2005, 12:58 PM	#8
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	Ooh. A manager style handheld game. That's the big thing I'm looking forward to out of this press release. That's the perfect thing to play when I usually play my SP (usually for a half hour or hour before I go to sleep so turn based games like Pokemon and M&L:SS are great for that- right now I'm on AW2). SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!"

02-02-2005, 12:40 AM	#2
SackAttack Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI	Dola, The license agreements kick in for the 2006 season, so we'll see an MVP title this year, and then that's all she wrote for the next half-decade.

02-02-2005, 11:28 AM	#3
SackAttack Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI	bump for the morning crowd.

02-02-2005, 12:17 PM	#6
cody8200 High School Varsity Join Date: Nov 2000	UGGGH. All of this shit fucking sucks. Screw take 2.

02-02-2005, 12:22 PM	#7
SackAttack Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI	They didn't start it, cody. They're doin' what they have to in order to keep EA from muscling them out of the other sports the way they did in football. It's all well and good for Take-Two to stay "virtuous" and let EA snap up what's left of the non-exclusive sports, but it's worth noting that if you martyr yourself, you're not gonna sell video games.

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