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Every Studio EA's Bought and Destroyed

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Undoubtedly you've already heard about EA's unprecedented buyout bid towards Take-Two, but it's far from the first time the gaming behemoth has thrown its weight in cash about.

From Maxis to BioWare Pandemic, Electronic Arts has spent billions acquiring studios over the last twenty years and, worryingly for Mass Effect fans, it's closed quite a few of them as well.
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computerandvideogames.com
decapitator - contributor
Published: 672 days ago | Article | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Wii | Xbox | PlayStation 2 | Gaming | PC | Industry News
 
 

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decapitator - 672 days 1 hour ago
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1 -
Well, **** me. I thought they had done far less destruction, guess I was wrong. TOTALLY. Holy hell, they've bought and close down over 15!! studios? Imagine how many people have been put out of work.

Man this is reason enough to not let EA acquire TT2, it would be a disaster folks. Go buy some stocks right now. It sucks though, they will get bought anyway, from the latest news, it seems till will be a hostile takeover.
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sonarus - 671 days 23 hours ago
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1.1 -
Unless you are ready to donate money to take two, Ea will be buying them The sooner we gamers start to accept it the better. EA sucks but they aren't completely F'd. Optimistically EA has an opportunity to help take two become more efficient. In other words those with good games stay those with lame games do not. I really only care about 2k sports. The good news for them is at least they can have NFL license so maybe we can actually see next gen madden. NBA 2k8 has owned live for a while now so hopefully ea will let it stay but probably under a different name.
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TriggerHappy - 672 days 1 hour ago
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2 -
Damn, all those studios shut down ? thats crazy. TT2 must not be bought.
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decapitator - 672 days 1 hour ago
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2.1 -
Spot on man, Is amazing how much destruction they have already caused to the gaming industry. They seem to wanna be int total control and domination of this next gen gaming with their garbage.
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Relcom - 672 days ago
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3 - Please don't let Bioware be
like all the rest. They are all i care about.
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MK_Red - 672 days ago
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Wow, I knew EA was stupid and couldn't handle good teams but WOW...
Biggest F ups of EA: Bullfrog and Westwood.
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P4KY B - 672 days ago
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4.1 - Agreed
They should be jailed for doing that Westwood and Bullfrog
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Leathersoup - 671 days 23 hours ago
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4.2 - My biggest comfort in this whole ordeal...
...is that they only keep the brands. As long as you can keep track of the names of the people who made the games great you're better off following that.

Example: Bullfrog = Peter Molyneux

I dunno about Westwood though... R.I.P :(
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Guwapo77 - 671 days 20 hours ago
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4.3 -
I had no clue they swallowed up and spit out Westwood. They did the D&D style RPGs and ARPGs... I always wondered what happened to those guys. I still miss them.

Edit: They were Land of Lore 1-3 and Eye of the Beholder. Excellent games during that time.
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dzg4ever - 672 days ago
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2/3 of their games sucks, so they only buy everething what is good! Thank's lord for other great studios! I simply don't like EA games
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name - 672 days ago
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6 -
Thank god for first party companies.
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Fishy Fingers - 672 days ago
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6.1 -
*amen* They "tend" to make the best games to, exclusives.
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TheExecutive - 671 days 23 hours ago
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6.2 -
lol wait until EA makes their own console... or MS goes into business with EA to make their own console...
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Panthers - 672 days ago
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Westwood is by far the saddest to see go. I still love the new C&C games, but nothing was more fun than RA and TS
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Maldread - 672 days ago
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8 - Damn
Everyone on this site should buy some socks in T2 so that EA dosn`t get it. I really hope Sony buys Rockstar at least, so that EA can`t ruin them. Their contract with T2 is going out around a years time from now if i remember correctly, so at least when that expires.
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The Closing - 672 days ago
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8.1 - Depends on..
what kinda socks we're talkin about here. Pre worn or new? Tube or regular? Black or white? How in the heck am I expected to buy socks if I don't know what they look like?
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Maldread - 671 days 23 hours ago
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8.2 - The Closing
Hahaha, damn that was a bad typo, but at least it brought up a good laugh. Ï meant to say (or type to be more accurate) stocks of course, even though a new pair of socks would be nice too ;)
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DJ - 672 days ago
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9 - If they're willing to close down EA Chicago
Which was arguably their best internal studio, I don't see them having any problem closing down Bioware or Take2.
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silenius - 671 days 23 hours ago
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10 - It doesn't make any F**ken sence...
Why the f**k EA is doing this to us???
They are the masters of disaster...
The only and i mean it, the only decent game that i've ever played from EA was actually Fight Night 3... all the rest was crap...

But im sure that the goddess of Justice will strike them down like a piece of Sh*t!!! for their sins in game industry...
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XB-T - 671 days 23 hours ago
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11 -
Looking at the picture, where the hell is Fight Night Round 4? I love this series, did EA also close the studio which was responsible for this game? Thought FNR3 was very successful...

I'm maybe alone with this opinion, but I don't think EA sucks as they deliver on the best games in the business. The BF series on PC is my alltime favorite, then there is also Crysis, the NFS series etc. Outside of the FN series EA ijs not that strong in the sport genre, but in all other they deliver on great games.
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aftrdark21 - 671 days 23 hours ago
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12 - Coming Soon 2010
EA console with insane exclusives for sports!

Just a thought...
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wowsauce - 671 days 23 hours ago
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13 - Did u guys read it?
Half the studios they closed were internal studios that weren't "closed", but moved. EA hasn't really destroyed any studios in half a decade, and they seem to be making a turn around in actually preserving studios, rather than buying them for rights to their IPs.

Cut them a little slack till they actually mess up again. Buying things isn't bad. Wait till they mess something up before you jump down their throats.
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Raupet - 671 days 22 hours ago
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14 - And that's why
I don't like EA. =/
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Bazookajoe_83 - 671 days 22 hours ago
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15 - I guess all 2k games would go down the drain
If this keeps up they will get as big monopoly as microsoft. Sad to see in the gaming world...
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Tone - 671 days 22 hours ago
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16 - Hmmmm
Its only a matter if time before EA snap up every major and minor games studio.. :(

By the time they are finished, only Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft will be left :|

God help us ... and people used to say Microsoft was bad at bying up the competition.
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DeckUKold - 671 days 19 hours ago
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16.1 - If true
Nintendo,Sony and Microsoft better start buying studios.
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17 ScottEFresh | 671 days 21 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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Killa Aaron - 671 days 17 hours ago
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this is just EA's plan to knock out their competition because they are getting their but kicked in one of the sports franchise and they are scarred of competition thats all that is and with 2k having bioshock and GTA they want to stand to profit from it, but id rather see a first party take a studio than a third take a third anybody but EA.

Monopoly Anyone ? Anyone?
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okcomputer - 671 days 17 hours ago
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I honestly think in 10-15 years there will just be 4 or 5 huge studios that 99% of games will come from. It happened in movies music and tv, and gaming will probably fall next. EA will be like the rupert murdoch of the gaming industry in the end. I hope this isn't the case but it sure seems like it.
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mr_potato - 671 days 17 hours ago
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19.1 -
We live in a capitalist world what did u think.

This will happen for sure the only question is when.

O and btw go communism
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SolidSnake93 - 671 days 10 hours ago
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19.2 - @ mr potato
Spot on and communism ftw agree+ bubbles.
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Lonewolf1991 - 671 days 15 hours ago
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Hmmm so this is how EA eliminates competition
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permutated - 671 days 13 hours ago
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21 -
I love how many of the companies they listed that were just re-named and moved to their new HQ.

What a bullsh*t article.
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The Snake - 671 days 13 hours ago
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22 -
This hurts me...
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SolidSnake93 - 671 days 10 hours ago
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23 -
Let EA buy everything till they can buy no more and then EA will fall.
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sidar - 671 days 9 hours ago
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...EA doesnt care about companies they buy, they just buy them to destroy them.....this way they will be keeping close to number 1 biggest third party developer....

paranoid you might say, but if EA can destroy so many things....cocain can be a hell of a drugs.
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