Take-Two Obtains Full Exclusive Baseball Rights

At least from a third-party perspective beginning in spring 2006, Take-Two Interactive now controls all MLB rights, not just the player's union. Console manufacturers still have the right to produce their own baseball games (Nintendo will actually release Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball this April with Boston's DH hitter David Ortiz on the cover). So for the time being, EA won't be able to release a baseball game on their own. Electronic Arts will more than likely team with Microsoft to publish their MLB game as Nintendo has already announced their baseball game and Sony has the 989 Sports games.

So the next question is: who will obtain exclusive NBA rights and does anyone even want to make another NHL game?

Take-Two is eliminating the ESPN label from the cover of their upcoming Major League Baseball 2K5 game. While Take-Two still has the rights to the ESPN brand for this year, they do not want to advertise for Electronic Arts as EA's new deal with ESPN for their brand for the next fifteen years will begin in 2006. Take-Two will still include the ESPN content of this year's baseball game, however.

Finally, Activision has announced they have secured the rights to publish the next Shrek video game. Shrek 3 the movie is scheduled for a summer 2007 release.