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..."

Comments

Maybe I am missing something...

[Willie_the_Wimp]

Can someone explain to me how "dramatically limiting the number of baseball video game manufacturers" will "promote competition in the marketplace to drive innovation in baseball product development"? Maybe I was asleep that day in ECON 101.

Oh wait, (not that I usually bash MS) but limiting choices to drive innovation is the new economy. Sorry... I forgot.

Todd

Huh?

[zoomba]

How is a seven year licensing deal "innovative"? What's so innovative about a contract?

Lawyer 1: Ok, I've got this great idea... we'll buy the rigths to Major League Baseball for a period of seven years!

Lawyer 2: Seven years?!!? I've heard of five year deals, even ten year deals... but SEVEN?! That's so far outside the box we'll have to label it as 'innovative' in our press release!

Lawyer 1: What can I say? I'm a visionary. No longer will we be tied to 5 year intervals on licenses... it will liberate the industry from the chains of oppression!

because

[tod_miller]

baseball games are easy to make. You hit a damn ball. How many new golf games are released?

What next? SSSSSSX Tricky Baseball pro underground 2?

Mod up your bat, and do break dance moves while hitting home runs into crowd of oiled up lesbians.

Get extra points for inventive sliding moves...

lets face it, baseball sucks.

Does baseball even have cheerleaders? (sorry I know nothing about american sports, so feel free to mod me down!)

Re:because

[wo1verin3]

Mod up your bat, and do break dance moves while hitting home runs into crowd of oiled up lesbians.

You have a torrent for this game?

Features Needed

[trekstar25]

As long as whatever baseball games they produce still have the "Hit batter with pitch" and "Charge the mound" buttons, I'm fine with this.

I don't get it

[Mauvaisours]

exclusive rights among third-party publishers to develop and market simulation, arcade and manager-style baseball video games

Can you explain me how MLB can forgive to make baseball games ? I understand that they can prevent using MLB brands, team, players,... but that doesn't prevent from doing baseball games. It's the same for football (or soccer as you call it on the other side), and Pro Evolution Soccer proves you can make successful games without the official license.

College Teams

[awhelan]

MLB and the NFL may be hurting their popularity by doing this. All the companies left out of their exclusive deals aren't going to just let their game engines go to waste. Within the next few years we are probably going to see more NCAA games. Many people prefer watching the unpaid college athletes over the professionals anyway and these excluseive deals will make college sports more popular... it's free publicity for the NCAA.

NHL exclusive deal

[Anonymous Coward]

In other news, I've personally signed an exclusive deal with the NHL to develop and market simulation, arcade and manager-style hockey video games that let you re-live the excitement of the 2004-2005 NHL season.