Keep Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Independent
- av: Justin Smith
- mottagare: Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
What This Petition is All About -
This petition shows support for Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. as an independent company. The signers of this petition show a desire for Take-
Two to retain its current model of ingenuity and quality. We feel that Take-Two's ability to do this would be hindered by any sort of merger or buy out
with any larger video game production companies. We would like Take-Two to look at the consequences for the video game industry and gamers in general if they were to enter into a merger or buy out by a larger publishing company. Please listen to the people that purchase your product when we say, "Stay independent."
News-
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) has made an unsolicited attempt to acquire Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. for $26 a share. EA is making the offer prior
to the release of Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV), a major video game release.[1][2] While unconfirmed the timing of EA's proposal may be an attempt to cash in on GTA IV.
Information-
While there would be benefits if Take-Two were to accept EA's proposal, there are far too many risks involved for Take-Two and gamers in general.
EA has already established itself as the largest third party publisher and if EA were to acquire Take-Two it would be eliminating one of EA's largest
competitors. EA has proven with its Madden NFL franchise that when there is no competition they are content to get by with bare minimums [A1]. Not
only would the lack of competition affect EA, but it could very possibly affect overall quality of the entire industry, as Take-Two is a company that often "pushes the envelope" and questions conventions (Grand Theft Auto, Bully, etc.). EA has a history of closing acquired studios and forcing their employees to either relocate or quit [3][4][5]. There have been highly publicized complaints of poor employee treatment by EA [6][7]. The article for Electronic Arts Inc on Wikipedia was edited to down play EA's creator Trip Hawkins, who was highly responsible for revolutionizing video game
publishing, while emphasizing the importance of former CEO Larry Probst. The editor also removed information regarding poor treatment of employees and removed multiple paragraphs under "Criticisms. When the IP address of the editor was traced it was found to be coming from an address registered by EA[8].
Take-Two has had many major releases in recent years such as Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Bioshock, Civilization IV. With these major releases and the upcoming release of GTA IV Take-Two is proving that while being independent they can do more than just "hold their own". By providing high quality and often "envelope pushing" games, Take-Two forces its competitors to increase the quality of their own games to keep up with Take-Two's games.
Additional Information-
[A1] While Madden NFL's 04 and 05 games were among the most highly rated football games once Take-Two's NFL 2k series was out of the picture
the quality and ingenuity of the Madden games have all been highly criticized by critics and gamers alike[9][10][11][12][13].
References-
[1] http://www.eatake2.com/ (EA's press release)
[2] http://taketwovalue.com/home.php (Take-Two's press release)
[3] http://news.softpedia.com/news/EA-Closes-Down-Warrington-Studio-38110.shtml (EA closes down Warrington)
[4] http://www.gamespot.com/news/6159448.html (EA closes down DICE)
[5] http://www.gamepro.com.au/index.php/id;476539124;fp;4;fpid;4 (EA closes down Origin Systems)
[6] http://ea-spouse.livejournal.com/274.html (EA Spouse)
[7] http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-5457274.html (EA overtime)
[8] http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/48482 (EA staff member tries to change Wiki History)
[9] http://xbox.ign.com/objects/494/494891.html (Madden 04 - see "press average")
[10]http://xbox.ign.com/objects/620/620935.html (Madden 05 - see "press average")
[11]http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/742/742471.html (Madden 06 - see "press average")
[12] http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/811/811804.html (Madden 07 - see "press average")
[13] http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/868/868499.html (Madden 08 - see "press average")
All Concerned,
We, the undersigned feel that the negative impact of a merger or buy out of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. by a larger publishing company would far out weigh the positive impact. We hope to dissuade Take-Two from, not only accepting a buy out by Electronic Arts Inc., but also from venturing into any future deals with other production companies which require Take-Two to give up its independence.
We would like to thank all of those at Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. who have taken time out of their schedule to read the concerns of their fans and consumers.
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