Slashdot Mirror
Take Two Lands Exclusive MLB Deal
The deal reported last week on Slashdot has come to fruition: Take Two interactive and MLB have signed an exclusivity deal. Worthplaying has the news. "The innovative seven-year arrangement will dramatically limit the number of baseball video game manufacturers and ensure aggressive marketing and promotion of baseball video games, while promoting competition in the marketplace to drive innovation in baseball product development. Beginning in 2006, Take2 will have exclusive rights among third-party publishers to develop and market simulation, arcade and manager-style baseball video games..."
Those 2 sentences really seem at odds, don't they? The only way I can spin is is that it's not quite a monopoly, as the deal is only applies to 3rd party developers. Apparently if Sony, MS or Nintendo wanted to make their own MLB games, they are entitled to. So, rather than get hundreds of lousy MLB games for each console system, you'll have at most 2 Take2's and S/MS/N's version. (are MLB games even that popular that there are more than 2 for any given system?)
But even then, I think it's a stretch to claim that Take2 competing against Nintendo for the best MLB game on the gamecube is going to result in innovation...
The deal does not include MLB trademarks and logos. It is with the player's union and not with MLB. The deal is basically for the right to use player names.
Actually, if one Reads The Fine Article, it acctually states that the agreement was with the player's union, not MLB. So the deal is probably ONLY for player names, and stadiums and team names are still available to all.
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