EA Renews Digital Illusions Deal

We reported last week on EA's bid on DICE, the makers of BF1942, and their lack of success at winning the shareholders over. This week GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that EA has revised the proposal in hopes of swaying those finicky stockholders. From the article: "However, EA's latest move conditions the offer upon a lower acceptance level of more than 50 per cent of the total number of shares - representing more than 50 per cent of the capital and votes in DICE after dilution due to an employee option programme launched in 2002." Update: 12/21 19:18 GMT by Z : Fixed broken link.

Funny

[CrazyJim1]

The revision of the proposal merely links back to the old article in Slashdot. I think maybe that it was meant to link to actual news.

Maybe I'm just tired..

[WhatAmIDoingHere]

But the quoted text up there makes me dizzy when I try to read it...

Can't avoid EA

[Dekks]

With all the negative press surrounding EA of late and the fact their in house games are just the same rehashed games over and over again, I told myself I wouldn't purchase another game from them. Then I found myself loading up a few of my favourite games and the splash screens all said the same thing XXXX cool game studio, and then published by EA GAMES. Its getting where you can't avoid them.

I'll give it a shot

[sailforsingapore]

attempted translation of quoted text:

DI: So, what is your proposal?

EA: Screw you, employees with stock options created in 2002. We're taking over...

EA's motives?

[Nevita]

From the looks of it, EA is really serious about buying up as many development studios as is feasible. Here's a possible reason for it:

Steam. EA sees Steam as a way (rightly so) for developers to get a much larger chunk of the money in the gaming industry. So, they buy a bunch of developers who produce decent games to prevent such a move. That way, EA can ensure it maintains its revenue.

Re:EA's motives?

[geminidomino]

That'll work! When everybody is EA, there won't BE any more decent games.

EA really let this one slip by....

[Red Moose]

Just thinking about the BF series, it was obvious that EA should go for it as they already have a possible 60 years of games - Battlefield 1943, 1944, 1945....1966.....1984 (ooer!).....2004, 2005 and so on.

Monopoly????

[Anonymous Coward]

OK no that I want to start flame wars or whatever. But with all this buying up of studios isn't EA slowly becoming a Monopoly.
I mean what the hell when MS started doing it when the Xbox came out, everyone screamed bloody murder.

EA.. buying its way out of competition

[mavi_yelken]

Now they tried NBA! http://www.evilavatar.com/modules.php?op=modload&n ame=News&file=article&sid=7277&mode=thread&order=0 &thold=0 [evilavatar.com]