Houser Talks Takeovers, GTA IV, EA
Rockstar mogul and GTA IV creator Sam Houser is about as close to a genuine rock star as the game industry's likely to get outside of Rock Band: with sales and costs in the hundreds of millions, Hauser can afford to be described as a "secretive, demanding workaholic" with a "temperament and a budget befitting a Holywood mogul." That $500 million earned in the first week of GTA IV's release hasn't hurt his rep, either.
He's also one of the reasons EA is drooling over Take-Two, and probably why EA recently took out a $1 billion loan.
But how would a maverick genius like Houser & co. fare under a heavy corporate presence like EA? Independence isn't necessarily impossible under such conditions: after all, Blizzard made sure they'd remain untouched under Activision - and then protected themselves again when their parent company merged with Vivendi.
Then again, as industry analyst Michael Pachter says: "These are the kids on the island in 'Lord of the Flies,' Are they manageable? No one knows."
But Houser himself said in a rare interview that he doesn't have a problem being a "much smaller fish in a much bigger pond" if the hostile takeover of Take-Two by EA goes through. He also doesn't anticipate seeking EA's approval on any content - while noting that EA turned him down for a job in the '90s.
Follow the link to read more Hauserisms.
Studio Is Prize in Takeover Duel [WSJ]
[via Joystiq]
tiny dancer
Posted to Miscellany on 12 May 2008
· Comments (1)
Other stuff like this: ea, gta iv, hostile takeover, interview, rockstar, sam hauser, t2, take-two
Words cannot express how much I DON'T want EA to get their hands on Take Two. I rather enjoy Take Two's games, and would like to be able to continue purchasing them, but if EA buys them, well...I guess I'd have to do without.