Mods are free to move this thread, but I thought it was important to have this discussion here in the 2K forum...
Today, it appears more likely Take-Two is going to talk to EA about a potential buyout. The company's bottom line is hurting, and outside of Grand Theft Auto IV, it's software line-up is less than strong. According to several analysts, it's not an issue of 'if' EA will buy Take-Two, but more an issue of 'when.'
A buyout would cause problems for several sports franchises, but I want to spend my time talking about the future of 2K Baseball. And needless to say, the franchise is on shaky ground.
There's no doubt in my mind that 2K LA is already in the planning stages of MLB 2K9, but it remains to be seen if it will ever see release. If EA completes a buyout over the next few months, it will be faced with two options: Absorb 2K's baseball product and release it as its own, or go back to its own in house development teams.
This is where things get tricky. EA hasn't released a baseball game in more than a year. And, it hasn't released a MLB baseball title in three years; most of the people who made MVP Baseball what it was have moved on. But as we know, 2K baseball doesn't exactly meet EA's standards for polish. Not to say EA games are bug free, because they aren't. But they always look "slick."
So what does EA do?
This may be moot. We don't know what's going on behind closed doors. And who knows, maybe EA already has a team working on a next-gen baseball title. Whatever the case, I think there's a good chance that 2K baseball as we currently know it may be over.
Here's a link to the latest EA/Take-Two details:
http://kotaku.com/366822/analyst-tak...-before-gta-iv
Today, it appears more likely Take-Two is going to talk to EA about a potential buyout. The company's bottom line is hurting, and outside of Grand Theft Auto IV, it's software line-up is less than strong. According to several analysts, it's not an issue of 'if' EA will buy Take-Two, but more an issue of 'when.'
A buyout would cause problems for several sports franchises, but I want to spend my time talking about the future of 2K Baseball. And needless to say, the franchise is on shaky ground.
There's no doubt in my mind that 2K LA is already in the planning stages of MLB 2K9, but it remains to be seen if it will ever see release. If EA completes a buyout over the next few months, it will be faced with two options: Absorb 2K's baseball product and release it as its own, or go back to its own in house development teams.
This is where things get tricky. EA hasn't released a baseball game in more than a year. And, it hasn't released a MLB baseball title in three years; most of the people who made MVP Baseball what it was have moved on. But as we know, 2K baseball doesn't exactly meet EA's standards for polish. Not to say EA games are bug free, because they aren't. But they always look "slick."
So what does EA do?
This may be moot. We don't know what's going on behind closed doors. And who knows, maybe EA already has a team working on a next-gen baseball title. Whatever the case, I think there's a good chance that 2K baseball as we currently know it may be over.
Here's a link to the latest EA/Take-Two details:
http://kotaku.com/366822/analyst-tak...-before-gta-iv
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