Rumor: EA eyeing Ubisoft takeover next?
by Kyle Orland 
{ Feb 26th 2008 at 10:55AM }
Take this one with some mountainous mounds of salt, but a suspicious web site registration has some buzzing that EA might be considering a Take Two-style takeover bid for Ubisoft as its next potential expansion move. A poster over at Gamecyte noticed that a proxy registration for eaubisoft.com was set up by the same company on the same day as the registration for eatake2.com, the lobbying site created to convince Take Two shareholders to accept the company's unsolicited takeover bid (it did not succeed).Of course, with proxy registration, it's impossible to know whether it was EA that actually registered the second site or if it's just the act of an overzealous domain camper. Still, given the close proximity of the registrations and the fact that EA already owns close to 25 percent of the voting shares in Ubisoft , the circumstantial evidence that EA was at least considering a move is significant (it wouldn't be the first such takeover attempt, either).
Ubisoft for its part, is focusing on license acquisition to spur its own growth in light of the Take Two offer. You know what they say ... when a bear like EA is chasing you, you don't have to be faster than the bear, just faster than the guy you're running with.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Feb 26th 2008 10:58AM
Dear EA please stop buying companies and focus on your own. Youve really started to make good games again.- share holders
rv @ Feb 26th 2008 12:50PM
They have been making some good games, but there are still the madden 08 spanish edition with green football edition and a medal of honor each month. I just hope they don't fuck up mass effect.
Pointz @ Feb 26th 2008 11:07AM
EA are always trying to buy UbiSoft. but Wickermans right the need to focus on their games and in-house studios before to try to buy someone. Who's next on their wishlist? Konami, Nintendo or maybe even Capcom. Ah well!
Can't wait for Army of Two though.
xFenixKnightx @ Feb 26th 2008 11:20AM
"Can't wait for Army of Two though"
I second that. Next week baby w00t!!! Please EA, let this game be an 8.5 AAA or atleast borderline AAA. The post-delay hands on of this game have been really positive with IGN. We shall soon see!
Karen @ Feb 26th 2008 12:13PM
I saw a commercial last night for Army of two in HD while watch Terminator: Sarah Conners Chronicles. It looked very pretty, I want to play a demo though.
VampireHunter Z @ Feb 26th 2008 11:08AM
What more could this company possibly want? Do they want to buy out the entire industry?
PSN: KillaKornbread (the shirt is a lie!) @ Feb 26th 2008 1:25PM
they would if they could.
J @ Feb 26th 2008 4:14PM
It really seems like it, doesn't it? They need to stop before somebody gets hurt.
Jay @ Feb 26th 2008 4:34PM
Just wait till they try and buy out Actiblizzion
FrankTheCrank @ Feb 26th 2008 11:10AM
I'm looking forward to Rayman08 and Rayman09.
I can also see Raving Rabbids08 and Raving Rabbids09.
Sequelmania!!!
baby sea tuna @ Feb 26th 2008 11:37AM
Right, because Ubisoft hasn't already done that with Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, and Rainbow 6...
NATO_Duke @ Feb 26th 2008 12:49PM
Yeah, Ubi has made sequels - but they make pretty darn good ones in the way of R6 & GR. I fear EA taking them over. Ubi has always been one of the better game devs in my eyes.
baby sea tuna @ Feb 26th 2008 12:52PM
You should amend that to "Ubi (Montreal)"
Anticrawl @ Feb 26th 2008 1:09PM
I tried to avoid the Rainbow Six series after the first or second because it became a bit of a joke with the sequals and slight variations. I don't remember half of them being great. Vegas was decent enough to get me excited again for the series, even if the character models did look horrific.
SoulBlade @ Feb 26th 2008 11:12AM
Stop the madness!
Burnt Meatloaf @ Feb 26th 2008 1:02PM
I'll forgive your slight pronunciation error.
zelderman @ Feb 26th 2008 2:22PM
This isn't madness... THIS... IS... SPARTA!!!!!!
Kye Wii60DF @ Feb 26th 2008 11:16AM
Right now I feel like forming my own gaming company with my number one aim being never being taken over by EA.
WiNG @ Feb 26th 2008 11:22AM
DO NOT WANT
JC @ Feb 26th 2008 11:36AM
The horsemen are comin'.............
xFenixKnightx @ Feb 26th 2008 11:57AM
Sweet avatar!
Liam @ Feb 26th 2008 11:34AM
NOOOOO
If they do this I will cry.
william @ Feb 26th 2008 11:36AM
yes but will they blend. sorry but i highly doubt this
Curmeo @ Feb 26th 2008 11:38AM
EA how about you register this one, easucks.com
LiK @ Feb 26th 2008 11:40AM
EA, why don't you concentrate on original IPs instead of spending on money on buyouts and screwing up companies that made good games before they became a part of you?
baby sea tuna @ Feb 26th 2008 11:44AM
Because there's no surefire money in it.
You've got to admit though, EA is like 1000x less creatively bankrupt than they were just 2 years a go...
Sam @ Feb 26th 2008 11:43AM
Dear Electronic Arts,
Go die in a fire.
Sincerely,
Me.
ThornedVenom (Patapornographer) @ Feb 26th 2008 11:51AM
If Ubisoft was truly French, they'd reject EA's offer without second thought.
Countering "American Imperialism" since Charles de Gaulle.
Anticrawl @ Feb 26th 2008 1:11PM
If Ubisoft was truely French they would strongly consider holding up their cultural values, but eventually would cut their losses and flee.
DefDealer @ Feb 26th 2008 3:15PM
If Ubisoft was truly French, they'd roll a joint and smoke out EA, drink and eat with her, and then drop EA like the bitch she is
Tapping "American Women" since the beginning of time.
motang @ Feb 26th 2008 11:58AM
EA just needs to stop, and leave Take2 and Ubisoft alone!
Huey2k2 @ Feb 26th 2008 12:06PM
There will be a time one day soon when every game developer in the world is owned by EA.
It is a sign of the apocalypse, be prepared, the four horsemen are coming.
jc @ Feb 26th 2008 12:26PM
Umm did'nt I just say that?? With less words????
Magetto @ Feb 26th 2008 12:16PM
To those of you worrying about this EA has been trying to buy Ubisoft for years now, and Ubisoft has rejected every EA offer to date. EA even tried taking over the company via buying up shares, and still couldn't buy it out.
Bluebrake @ Feb 26th 2008 12:27PM
Wasn't EA in the middle of massive layoffs and studio closures last quarter? How is it that now they're suddenly in giant expansion mode?
Burnt Meatloaf @ Feb 26th 2008 1:05PM
Ah, so *that's* how they get the money for buyouts.
J.Goodwin @ Feb 26th 2008 12:36PM
Remember, the era of industry consolidation is over. Until EA says it isn't, of course.
The solution is simple, don't buy EA published games.
J.Goodwin @ Feb 26th 2008 12:38PM
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/08/dice-08-riccitiello-warns-against-consolidation-says-ea-blew/
Atomicwaist @ Feb 26th 2008 12:57PM
Did anybody else read "eatake2.com" as a funny way of saying EA eats Take2? Because when I first read it, I totally say eat take 2.com...
Keiichi @ Feb 26th 2008 1:31PM
I have a pal that works at Ubi's Newcastle studio - I wonder how he feels about this...
Eoco @ Feb 26th 2008 1:36PM
Is there nothing they won't buy. EA can't make good games themselves, so have to eat other developers
The BPM Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine @ Feb 26th 2008 1:49PM
Madness...
They won't stop until they own it all...
And when EA wins, we all lose.
Shotgun Steve @ Feb 26th 2008 2:24PM
Dear God, it doesn't stop. I bet within the next 20 years, EA will control over 60% of the games industry, and 80% in 50 years. By then we'll have games like "Generic shooter XXIV: Kill More Dudes" and "Generic Racer XLI: Fast Cars".
zelderman @ Feb 26th 2008 2:29PM
Yeah. This means we would get mediocre Prince of Persia sequeals every year, with little more than the princes clothes changing. YEAH!!!!
/sarcasm
coast19 @ Feb 26th 2008 2:29PM
WTF is going on with them. Almost kinda sort of seems like their gonna release their own console and have nothing but exclusives on it.
That would suck!
zelderman @ Feb 26th 2008 2:33PM
Then they could release a new madden game everyday. WITH 3-D GRASS!!!!!
XGM @ Feb 26th 2008 4:06PM
EA should stop milking the cow so much since its milk is sour now... They should instead focus on making quality games, and not ruining the companies that make good games.
Pointz @ Feb 26th 2008 7:20PM
EA would by Cadbury's if they thought it was competition. Also for in-game adds in Fifa.
Neebs @ Feb 26th 2008 7:24PM
Ea making console next gen.
confirm.
Pointz @ Feb 26th 2008 8:20PM
Actually I think your onto something. And by acquiring these devs, EA are building an army of two (sorry) too many devs against Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony (unless one of the 3 stop making consoles). I'd hate an EA console.