Xbox Live Server Protocol Opens Sports To Sega, EA?

Thanks to IGN Sports for its interview with Visual Concepts boss Greg Thomas regarding Sega and EA's entries in the Xbox sports game market. Thomas, whose Sega-owned company produces the ESPN Sports series, reveals of the Xbox versions: "Last year we had to be in [Microsoft's] closed network. This year, they're introducing something called LSP (Live Server Protocol) that enables us to run our own servers." Following Microsoft's cancellation of its 2004 XSN Sports line-up for Xbox, he muses on Electronic Arts' possible, long-delayed adoption of Xbox Live for sports titles, noting that LSP "...allows you to use your own servers. So if that was EA's problem, then they can definitely be on Xbox Live this year. But if they had a different problem, a billing issue or a revenue concern, then that hasn't changed." He ends by predicting of EA: "we're clearly expecting them to be on Xbox Live by the end of the year."