NEWS - Tuesday, December 21, 2004
NBA Turns Down Exclusivity Deal With EA
It would be fair to say that the 5-year exclusivity deal that Electronic Arts negotiated with the NFL sent shockwaves reverberating through the videogames industry; the fact that such a deal could be accomplished in the first place now shows exactly how much of a powerful force EA actually are. Today though it seems that the gargantuan corporation has had its fingers burned by another US sporting franchise, as reports that a similar exclusive deal has been turned down by the NBA have surfaced. The NBA have seen revenues increase in recent years, thanks to the rival ESPN range of NBA titles as well as NBA Ballers, and the exclusivity deal would have likely meant that income to the franchise would have dropped. Whether EA will return to the table with an improved deal is yet to be established, especially in the light of recent events with Swedish developer DICE, however, we will bring you more news on the situation shortly…Source: http://www.totalvideogames.com
