Baseball Home-Run for Take-Two

Major League Baseball Players Association Makes Bold Move to Grow Video Game Business (thanks Frans) is the press release announcing that Take-Two Interactive has succeeded in its pitch for an exclusive license with the Major League Baseball Players Association (story). Here's a bit:
NEW YORK, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The Major League Baseball Players Association ("MLBPA") today announced that it has reached an agreement in principle to grant sweeping rights to Take2 Interactive, Inc., to develop and publish a broad portfolio of products that are expected to drive the baseball video game business to unprecedented heights.

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 on the current and next-generation PlayStation, X-BOX, Nintendo, personal computer and hand-held video game systems. At the same time, manufacturers of video game systems will have the opportunity to develop and publish baseball simulation games for their own platforms.
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Re: FOR FUCK'S SAKE
Jan 25, 2005, 03:45
18.
Re: FOR FUCK'S SAKE Jan 25, 2005, 03:45
Jan 25, 2005, 03:45
 
Sega/Blue SHIFT *is* Take Two (cf this post from a month ago:

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/sports/espnmajorleaguebaseball2k5/news_6114690.html

) ...I hope you like cross-hairs in your pitching interface. LOCK ON! LOCK ON!

Your confusion with the exclusivity comes stems from missing the key words "third-party". ("Beginning in 2006, Take2 will have exclusive rights among third-party publishers") "First Party" is industry lingo for the console makers themselves. ("Second party", btw, is a out-of-house team that works exlusively for a first party developer (eg, Retro for Nintendo))

And the MLBPA is most definately not the MLB with a couple more letters. They are their own entity and operate within their own bounds. The MLB will probably ink the same deal as the PA did, but only because they realize splitting the brand is a rediculous move for all involved.

Look at it this way - FIFA (the EA game) got exclusivity from FIFA (the football org) and what happened? Pro Evo kicked their ass. Maybe we'll see a serious upheaval in both the american football and baseball markets as well.

(Silver lining, etc)


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