MLB 2K5

[Thirteen]

with Sega out of the sports games, Take-Two Taking over for them, and EA grabbing the NFL an exclusive and the ESPN name.. the 2K series will continue...and they ditched the ESPN name early

Take-Two dumps ESPN brand early

Reps for the publisher confirm that it is dropping the "ESPN" from its upcoming baseball game, now called "Major League Baseball 2K5."
Electronic Arts doesn't take control of the ESPN license until next year, but that isn't stopping Take-Two from ditching the brand early. Representatives from the publisher confirmed to GameSpot that they are dropping the "ESPN" from its forthcoming title, ESPN Major League Baseball 2K5. The game was to be the last Take-Two-published game to carry the sports network's moniker.

However, although the game will now simply called "Major League Baseball 2K5," the game will still feature the same in-game ESPN-branded presentation as its predecessor, ESPN Major League Baseball. "It's just a name change," said a rep for Visual Concepts, the parent studio of the game's developer, Kush Games. "It will not affect anything in the game…nothing else is changing." Both Kush and Visual Concepts were recently folded into Take-Two's recently formed 2K Games sub-brand.

Presumably the removal of "ESPN" from Major League Baseball 2K5's title is a compromise solution. It allows Take-Two to stop promoting the ESPN brand--which would amount to free publicity for EA--and sidesteps the sticky issue of removing all the heavily integrated ESPN content from the game, which would have presumably caused a delay.

The cover art for Major League Baseball 2K5 will likely soon change, as it currently features the ESPN logo prominently. Also, following its agreement with the Major League Baseball Players' Association over the weekend, Take-Two announced that Derek Jeter would be the cover athlete for its next baseball title.

Major League Baseball 2K5 is still set for a March 15 release for the Xbox and PlayStation 2. After its release, Take-Two will assume exclusive third-party game publishing rights for Major League Baseball, although first-party baseball games like SCEA's MLB 2006 will still be allowed.

By Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot

[Shallow]

Sega needs to go back to World Series '98 and take a look at the greatest baseball game ever created, then remake it completely, with updated rosters and graphics. Nothing EA or Sony has ever made comes with in the vicinty of World Series '98. Tony Larussa was good for it's time, but when World Series '98 came out it blew Larussa out of the water game play wise.

[eS El Duque]

Ken Griffery's Slugfest was probably the easiest game to play for baseball...all other baseball games pissed me off lol

[Infamous Josedy]

Bla, waiting for MVP 2005.If only EA payed as much attention to detail for the MVP Franchise as it does to the Madden Franchise.I just hope the new MVP allows us to actually fight (ala NHL) and lets us, in Franchise, choose to be owner so we can construct our own stadiums like in Madden.