EA denies reports of NBA exclusivity bid
Top publisher silences basketball exclusivity rumours.
Leading publisher Electronic Arts has denied that it sought an exclusive licensing deal with the NBA, following reports last month which indicated that the basketball association had turned down an approach from the firm.
US website IGN reported in late December that the NBA had turned down an exclusivity deal with EA, which would have followed on from a similar deal signed with the NFL earlier in the month.
However, an EA spokesperson denied the claims, telling GamesIndustry.biz that "the IGN story is wrong - EA has not asked for an exclusive and the NBA has not rejected an EA offer for an exclusive."
At present several publishers hold licenses to produce titles based on the NBA, and it's believed that some of those licenses have up to two years remaining before they must be renegotiated.
If nothing else, this would certainly give the NBA time to evaluate the impact of EA's exclusive deal with the NFL before making a decision on any possible approach from the publisher.
