75 replies to this topic

[Fro]

Now on the CBn main page...

Activision Granted James Bond Video Game Rights

EA apparently out; Activision gains rights through 2014

First Activision Game Expected to be 'Bond 22' Tie-In

Variety reports cancellation of 'Casino Royale' factor in EA MGM split

Activision Announces 007 Game Developers

Game in development for next-gen consoles, Windows PC and handheld systems

Activision is a lot better publishing house than EA as far as overall quality, so this is a good pickup.

I'd hope the Infinity Ward team would get a shot at the 007 license... they made Call of Duty 2.

[zencat]

This from VE3D:

Whoops, sorry. Merge me. Fro was first.

[dinovelvet]

Hmm I thought EA had the rights to Bond until 2009 or 2010 or something? Did they just give them up? (Possibly after sales figures for Goldeneye and FRWL?) Pity this didn't happen a few months ago, Activision could be making a Casino Royale game as we speak...or they could still make one and get it out to coincide with the CR DVD?

[K1Bond007]

I just heard about this too. Not sure I understand what's going on. EA had the rights till 2010. Now Activision has it till 2014. I doubt EA would dump the license.

http://biz.yahoo.com...w113.html?.v=35

[Sanjuro007]

Too bad Konami didn't get the rights. Kojima Productions -- if they would be interested -- would make a fantastic James Bond game, if the cinematic panache, involving storylines, and fun gameplay of their Metal Gear Solid series is any indication.

[zencat]

This is a real shocker. Well, I guess we now know the real reason why the Casino Royale game was cancelled.

[Righty007]

I thought EA had the licence until 2010? Activision makes hot garbage like the Spider-Man and Tony Hawk series.

[K1Bond007]

I thought EA had the licence until 2010? Activision makes hot garbage like the Spider-Man and Tony Hawk series.

Activision is a publisher, not a developer. Tony Hawk is made by Neversoft and those aren't bad.

If you're going to judge Activision on those then you should add in their successful published titles like the Call of Duty series, Quake series (pretty much anything related to id Software), Total War series, Soldier of Fortune. They're mainly known and good for first-person shooters, beyond that... it's usually hit or miss - leaning mostly towards the latter.

Ubisoft would have been my choice as far as big publishers go.

[zencat]

I thought EA had the licence until 2010? Activision makes hot garbage like the Spider-Man and Tony Hawk series.

Activision is a publisher, not a developer. Tony Hawk is made by Neversoft and those aren't bad.

If you're going to judge Activision on those then you should add in their successful published titles like the Call of Duty series, Quake series (pretty much anything related to id Software), Total War series, Soldier of Fortune. They're mainly known and good for first-person shooters, beyond that... it's usually hit or miss - leaning mostly towards the latter.

So what does this mean for EA and future Bond games, K1? Sorry, I really don't understand the whole gaming biz.

[Fro]

The Tony Hawk and Spiderman titles are both very good too. A lot, lot deeper than EA's Bond games. They don't publish a bunch of garbage like EA does.

Imagine a Bond game like "Gun"... could be really cool.

[dinovelvet]

Activision is a publisher, not a developer. Tony Hawk is made by Neversoft and those aren't bad.

If you're going to judge Activision on those then you should add in their successful published titles like the Call of Duty series, Quake series (pretty much anything related to id Software), Total War series, Soldier of Fortune. They're mainly known and good for first-person shooters, beyond that... it's usually hit or miss - leaning mostly towards the latter.

Ubisoft would have been my choice as far as big publishers go.

So do we know what their plans are for the Bond licence? Will they announce anything at E3? Might they have actually started something already?! How many more questions will I ask?

[stromberg]

This is a real shocker. Well, I guess we now know the real reason why the Casino Royale game was cancelled.

Not so sure about that. What was first, the hen or the egg?

[Blofeld's Cat]

This is a real shocker. Well, I guess we now know the real reason why the Casino Royale game was cancelled.

Exactly what I was thinking as I was reading the article.

Either cancelled because EA were told what was happening or EA's cancelation prompted the switch.

[The Admiral]

I'm really excited about this. Activision bring great games to the table.

Call of Duty
Return To Castle Wolfenstein
Doom 3

The quality in the games is what really shines with Activision. Hopefully also, we'll get a PC/Mac version of the next game.

[TheCheat]

i wonder if their first attempt will be a first person or third person shooter or something completely different

[K1Bond007]

I thought EA had the licence until 2010? Activision makes hot garbage like the Spider-Man and Tony Hawk series.

Activision is a publisher, not a developer. Tony Hawk is made by Neversoft and those aren't bad.

If you're going to judge Activision on those then you should add in their successful published titles like the Call of Duty series, Quake series (pretty much anything related to id Software), Total War series, Soldier of Fortune. They're mainly known and good for first-person shooters, beyond that... it's usually hit or miss - leaning mostly towards the latter.

So what does this mean for EA and future Bond games, K1? Sorry, I really don't understand the whole gaming biz.

I got a friend looking into this. He states (right now)
"I've found out that Activision's license is non-exclusive until 2007, meaning EA should still be able to make Bond games until that point. However, I haven't been able to determine what allowed Activision to obtain the license at all, or why the non-exclusivity takes effect in 2007 instead of 2010, as EA's prior license would suggest."

It's possibly EA may have opted-out. I noticed this a couple weeks ago, but didn't think much of it because Bond is a pretty big franchise. EA is apparently restructering the way they do business by doing less movie-based games and more original internally-created games so that EA can lessen their dependence on movie tie-ins for their success. Bond might have been a victim of that (as well as Harry Potter and a couple other big names).

[The Admiral]

Wasn't EA's contract suppose to last until 2010?

http://commanderbond.net/?s=2009

[Pierce James Bond]

They may bring great games to the table but the thing I don't like is some of the games they come out with have the most crapiest graphics. Thats why I disapprove this Activision idea.

[Qwerty]

Now on the CBn main page...

Activision Granted James Bond Video Game Rights

_{EA apparently out; Activision gains rights through 2014}

[Double-0-Seven]

Although I really enjoyed EA's games, I think this will be a good switch. I can't wait to see what their first game is like.

[deth]

They may bring great games to the table but the thing I don't like is some of the games they come out with have the most crapiest graphics. Thats why I disapprove this Activision idea.

some.... but not all...... Doom 3? Quake 4? Call of Duty 1 and 2? every publisher has some games with nice craphics and some without ....

I just hope this means that we'll be getting some PC titles

[K1Bond007]

So the guy I know talked to both Activision and EA.

An EA representative said:

"EA had an agreement that was set to expire in 2009. We decided to conclude our agreement with [licensors] MGM and EON. It was a good relationship, and we made a lot of great games over the years. Movie games will always be a part of our portfolio, but EA is moving away from licensed properties and committing our studios more towards internal IP. The resources and creative control afforded by fully owned properties allow us to deliver the kinds of game experiences our customers want."

As I predicted (see above). Some of you may point out 2009 being incorrect - the rep either misspoke or depending on the month might be correct; regardless it's a direct quote.

Activision said that their exclusive deal begins in September 2007, which means EA can still apparently make games until that point, although Activision also has non-exclusive rights until that point too.

You can see his report here: http://www.shacknews...article.x/41980

Update from MGM:

With EA's previously noted change in focus away from licensed properties, MGM put the Bond property on the market for a select group of major publishers and allowing Activision to pick up the rights. It is unlikely that any new Bond games will surface before Activision's exclusivity begins in 2007. This, combined with what an MGM representative described as more of a focus on narrative in the upcoming Bond film Casino Royale, means that we will not be seeing a new Bond video game until the film following Casino.

[Aussie21]

No matter what the reason, I'm glad that the Bond franchise is out of EA's damn hands. They've yet to be innovative in anything they do (perhaps Madden Wii will change that), and I'm hoping Activision can revive the Bond name in video games.

!

[Fro]

http://biz.yahoo.com..._arts.html?.v=2

Well, this explains why they sold off Bond (Electronic Arts Posts 4th-Quarter Loss of $16M)

[K1Bond007]

http://biz.yahoo.com..._arts.html?.v=2

Well, this explains why they sold off Bond (Electronic Arts Posts 4th-Quarter Loss of $16M)

lol, no. 16M is nothing. That's not bad of a loss at all and it's only a loss for 1 quarter. That's not a reason enough to dump the James Bond rights which are worth a hell of a lot more than that. See my earlier reply for their official reasoning.

[tdalton]

I'm glad that the rights have finally been taken away from EA. I actually just got From Russia With Love today after I saw that it was very, very cheap, and I was looking for something new in the Bond world, so I gave it a try. I'm a couple of levels in, and it's just the most bland Bond game that's ever been made, and thankfully EA won't have the chance to make anymore like that.

[Semedi]

This is FANTASTIC news!

EA has been complete trash, and really ran the videogame side of the franchise into the ground. They're known throughout the industry for churning out mediocre games that appeal to casual gamers, but have zero gameplay to back their titles up.

All I can say is THANK GOD FOR ACTIVISION! They'll rescue the Bond franchise 3 years before EA would of normally relinquished it, and I'm ready to play a Bond game again! They have very close partnerships with EXCELLENT FPS developers such as Raven Software, Infinity Ward, Grey Matter, id Software, Nerve Software, Gearbox Software and more. Any of these developers would be more then capable of developing a AAA Bond videogame experience, and I can't wait to see what they come up with.

All this time we've been waiting for the true heir to Goldeneye 64 to be made. Thanks to Activision, this dream might finally become a reality. Rejoice!!

[Flash1087]

Yeah, this might be good news. I hope they make one for the Nintendo Wii.

[Nimsworth]

At last someone has told EA that their days of sub-par cash ins are over. Seriously EA seem to secure licences and release any second rate crud mainly to cash in with the fans. 007 isn't the only franchise EA have just churned out crap with. They did the same with WCW and that horrible Marvel: Rise Of The Imperfects Game.

Activision seem to publish good playable games based on movie franchises (Shrek, Star Wars Battlefront II) so I'm really looking forward to this. But not getting my hopes up over seeing the true successor to Goldeneye 64.

[dinovelvet]

Yeah, this might be good news. I hope they make one for the Nintendo Wii.

Yeah! I want to play a Bond game with that controller