NYT on EA hostile bid for Take 2

The New York Times had an article up about EA's attempted hostile bid for Take 2 Interactive (parent of Rockstar, developer of Grand Theft Auto). The bit I found interesting was how much they talked about EA's hostility to developer creativity. I expect that kind of coverage from gaming media, but when mainstream new sources talk about it EA must be a mess.

...E.A. has acquired many high-profile game studios, including ... Origin Systems (Ultima), which essentially dissolved after Electronic Arts tried to direct and homogenize their creative output.

Any deal for Take-Two would be largely empty if Take-Two teams like Rockstar and Ken Levine's group at 2K Boston, which recently released the acclaimed game BioShock, were to depart rather than work for E.A.

Mr. Riccitiello seems aware of the danger and is taking steps to convince the game industry of E.A.'s newfound respect for creative talent. At a well-received speech at an industry conference in Las Vegas earlier this month Mr. Riccitiello promised that in future deals, Electronic Arts would avoid killing the creative golden goose as it has in the past.New York Times

Mr. Riccitiello seems aware of the danger and is taking steps to convince the game industry of E.A.'s newfound respect for creative talent. At a well-received speech at an industry conference in Las Vegas earlier this month Mr. Riccitiello promised that in future deals, Electronic Arts would avoid killing the creative golden goose as it has in the past.New York Times

He thinks to quell our distaste with mere lies? Pah!

Anyway, yeah, that's surprising that the mainstream press would cover something like that in that manner. Just goes to show, one day gaming will be taken just as seriously in the press as other entertainment industries like television, movies, and music.

When money is involved people start to take notice - the gaming industry is worth billions, and EA is one, if not the biggest player in the market.