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EA snaps up BioWare and Pandemic Studios

Video game maker Electronic Arts today announced it has reached a financial agreement with Elevation Partners to purchase VG Holding Corp., the firm that owns Pandemic Studios and BioWare Corp.  The $860 million USD deal should help solidify EA's action and role-playing game catalog with 10 new games that are featured for three different platforms.

The game producer hopes the purchase will help the company raise its revenue potential over the next three years, with estimates of more than $300 million USD per year in 2009 and 2010.

EA CEO John Riccitiello returned to EA after serving a stint as chief executive and chairman of the board for VG Holdings, though he did not participate in the negotiations, according to an EA spokesperson.

"This deal brings incredible talent to EA," said Frank Gibeau, EA Games president.  "It puts us in categories where EA historically has not had a strong competitive position."

Financial analysts expect the deal is supposed to close in January 2008.  EA created more than $3.1 billion USD in revenue during the last fiscal year.

Pandemic and BioWare combined currently employ more than 800 employees in the United States, Canada and Australia.

BioWare is best known for creating the Neverwinter Nights video game series, though its science fiction game Mass Effect is expected to be a holiday hit for the Microsoft Xbox 360.  Pandemic created Destroy All Humans and is currently working on Mercenaries 2.

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EA, please die
By Kromis on 10/12/2007 12:25:56 AM , Rating: 5
Don't defile my BioWare, please. I know it's cool for now but don't touch them!




RE: EA, please die
By Phillycat on 10/12/2007 12:56:05 AM , Rating: 5
You can always look forward to Jade Empire 2, 3, 4. But only after mass effect 1, 2, and 3 and KOTOR 3 are done. Hopefully there are at least 3 original members still at the studio at the time.


RE: EA, please die
By Mazzer on 10/12/2007 1:17:41 AM , Rating: 2
It seems like it's a little early to tell what is going to happen but I would hope EA gains no control over Bioware or its IP and is strictly nothing more then a money vacuum for these companies.


RE: EA, please die
By Kromis on 10/12/2007 1:21:51 AM , Rating: 2
You're right about that. Let's just hope this "new" EA really changes their ways.


RE: EA, please die
By Kromis on 10/12/2007 1:23:23 AM , Rating: 2
Oh, by the way, EA now owns the Mass Effect IP. :|


RE: EA, please die
By blurredvision on 10/12/2007 7:55:07 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Oh, by the way, EA now owns the Mass Effect IP.


No, they don't. Microsoft is publishing Mass Effect, and therefore has the rights to the name. It promises to be such an original game, though, that I doubt anyone but Bioware could do a sequel any justice.


RE: EA, please die
By Polynikes on 10/12/2007 8:09:06 AM , Rating: 2
Too bad the PC gamers got the cold shoulder on that one. Microsoft is good about making that happen. Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll get a port a year and a half later.


RE: EA, please die
By Bluestealth on 10/12/2007 2:36:10 PM , Rating: 4
Yes Microsoft...
It seems that part of their company likes PC gamers... Starting the Games for Windows initiative to try and make games better... while another part asks every game publisher to NOT make a port for the PC. They also have started pushing DX10 only games, and games only for Vista that are DX9... its like they can't make up their minds.

Its probably all caused by infighting between Microsoft's gaming division, OS division, and console division... but it really sucks for PC gamers.

IMHO the PC does not really compete with console gamers, at all. They are just merely hoping that one of their must have games will entice a PC gamer to buy an XBox360; which isn't likely to happen if they don't already own one. In the end they are just getting less Vista sales from gamers, less DX10 hardware sales for their OEMs, and less sales for their gaming division. It seems silly to put all the work into making both platforms easier to develop for, and then telling people not to do it.

Ok, that's enough ranting for today :)


RE: EA, please die
By euclidean on 10/12/2007 4:35:05 PM , Rating: 2
Tell me about it...they just seem to want their money so they seem to release the ok games soley on the xbox...makes me a sad panda :(


RE: EA, please die
By deeznuts on 10/12/2007 3:44:47 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
No, they don't. Microsoft is publishing Mass Effect, and therefore has the rights to the name.
This is not true. Publishing is not the same as owning an IP. Bioware has already stated this in their conference call. They own the Mass Effect IP.

MS does however have an exclusive publishing deal with Mass Effect 1. It is a 360 exclusive. Future ME games however are up for grabs as of now.


RE: EA, please die
By scrapsma54 on 10/12/2007 8:43:00 AM , Rating: 2
I only disprove of EA becaue of its recent introduction of that shitty spyware into battlefielf 2142.


RE: EA, please die
By leidegre on 10/12/2007 1:47:56 AM , Rating: 4
Well, it's not all bad. EA has great QA as well as a good process for getting games out there. This wasn't always the case, but lately the games they've shipped have been somewhat fun, and rather well developed.

I just hope they tune down the business minded stuff a bit. They sure seem to care about money, more than the games themselves and that's not going to give us great games. They only product EA has which remotely interests me is SPORE (Thank you Will Wright). I will however, admit that I enjoyed C&C3 but it sure didn’t last very long.

The greatest games still come from new or smaller studios with great ideas and passion…


RE: EA, please die
By Sunner on 10/12/2007 4:09:09 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
EA has great QA

Eh? EA has a QA team now?


RE: EA, please die
By CyborgTMT on 10/12/2007 6:36:21 AM , Rating: 4
Yep... He's 42, lives with his mom, and hasn't come out of the basement in 2 years. BTW, he only plays the Sims so every other game is just sent back as being perfect.


RE: EA, please die
By bighairycamel on 10/12/2007 7:18:43 AM , Rating: 5
I agree with some of that stuff, but I'm tired off all the advertising. EA, as everyone knows, are the whores of the video game industry. I remember the days when Need for Speed was about racing, and not about answering your AT&T/Cingular cell phone to receive corny text messages.


RE: EA, please die
By JarvisTheGray on 10/12/07, Rating: 0
RE: EA, please die
By OblivionMage on 10/12/2007 3:56:34 PM , Rating: 4
They are the stereotypical Microsoft of gaming. Except, this goes much beyond a stereotype. (Not meaning to get into and pro/anti Microsoft here)


RE: EA, please die
By OblivionMage on 10/12/07, Rating: 0
RE: EA, please die
By AlexWade on 10/12/2007 8:44:03 AM , Rating: 2
The new slogan is:
"EA Games, you don't have a choice"

The ONLY EA game I will considering buying is the next Sim City. Other than that, I've decided to boycott EA games. I will not buy Madden NFL whatever. I used to play NFL 2K series, and it was by miles better than Madden. So, EA games did what they did best and crushed the competition instead of improving. EA games bought the exclusive rights to NFL player names. I decided that day to stay away from EA games.


RE: EA, please die
By Screwballl on 10/12/2007 9:54:14 AM , Rating: 3
same here, I refuse to buy any EA game now... as a long time fan of the SimCity series, I will refuse to buy this one. Instead can I suggest you look into another new game called "Cities Unlimited" from a non-EA company.


RE: EA, please die
By walk2k on 10/12/2007 3:12:39 PM , Rating: 4
Resistance is futile.
All developers will be assimilated.