EA withdraw Take-Two offer, good for gaming

Mike Bantick
Wednesday, 20 August 2008 06:08

Opinion and Analysis

Much would depend on the underlying contractual set-up, but if one glance’s back through recent EA history things could go pear shaped for a company at the forefront of pushing the interactive entertainment envelope.

Getting exclusive rights to NFL team rosters was great for EA in stifling competition from 2K sports against the top selling Madden American Football franchise, but arguably it also stifled innovation at the same time.

Back in 2004 Electronic Arts admitted to the accusation of failing to reward employee’s for punishing work schedules – earning EA development houses a sweatshop reputation that it still struggles to shake off today.

But more than this, in the world of art that is game development, nothing can work against creativity than big business.

Despite the controversy – and I say this as a parent, the way RockStar push the boundaries of gaming is a required function of keeping the industry ticking over. 

Sure they are not as innovative as some, but while everybody else is heading towards capturing their own slice of the lucrative casual gaming market – Lips/SingStar, Buzz, dancing games, pet management and more, true gaming innovation is being left to only a few.

Granted one of these is the EA sponsored Spore, and the other that springs to mind is the Sony backed LittleBigPlanet, but RockStar take the envelope pushing to a darker more adult corner.

And the industry needs developers such as this to not be hampered by commercial concerns or directed by demographic statistic waving suits. 

The next GTA needs to be dirtier, grittier and tell a compelling adult story, about the only way that EA could be of benefit to RockStar when GTA V hits the streets will be financing the inevitable court battles that will insue.