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2K gave OJ $50K for football game
TheStreet reports that 2K's parent company Take-Two paid OJ Simpson $50,000 for the rights to his likeness in All-Pro Football 2K8. Simpson was paid $25,000 last January when he signed the contract and the rest a month after the game came out in July. TheStreet obtained the contract between Take-Two and Simpson's representation Justin Communications. The contract also states that if the deal was renewed for two years that Simpson would receive $50,000 up front. However, all that money will probably go to the Goldman family, as Simpson was ordered to do early last month with this year's cash. In essence Take-Two is helping pay down Simpson's multi-million dollar wrongful death tab.$50,000 for OJ Simpson's likeness? Well, guess we'll have to wait and hear if 2K Sports makes All-Pro Football 2K9 to see if that cash was worth it. Considering there were a number of old-school football stars in the game, that's a lot of money going toward some gimmicky name-dropping. Wouldn't spending that money on marketing and advertising have been a more fruitful venture? Ohhhh, the game is called "All-Pro" so they had to put former Pro athletes in there? Let's see if they announce APF2K9 or end up going back to the drawing board. Someone has to make decent Madden competition in the marketplace.[Via GamePolitics]
OJ gotta give All-Pro Football 2K8 money to Goldmans
Thanks to GameTrailers.com's self-made video of OJ Simpson playing on a team called The Assassins in 2K Sport's All-Pro Football 2K8, Reuters linked the two together in the first paragraph of a story on how the relatives of murder victim Ron Goldman won a court order today to seize all money Simpson makes off the game. Simpson was aquitted of Goldman's murder in a trial many moons ago, but lost the wrongful death suit where he was ordered to pay $33.5 million.For those just catching up, we explained this Assassins connection away weeks ago when the controvery first broke. Simpson can be placed on any team, GameTrailers (either for yucks or accidentally) made a video of Simpson on a team called The Assassins. At the time 2K Sports clearly stated that they had nothing to do with the video and it was not created by their marketing or publicity department. Some people still got all uppity about it. Simpson has been ordered by the court to turn over copies of his Take-Two contract and any related documents.[Thanks Fyreblazer]
OJ Simpson + All-Pro Football 2K8 mascot = Drama
This is one of those instances when all the right pieces get put together and make for sensational news. It turns out that in the recently released All-Pro Football 2K8 from 2K Sports, part of publicity magnet Take-Two Interactive, features OJ Simpson. Well, that might be an issue for some people who consider the man a murderer, but it gets better. There's also a team called The Assassins in the game. Now, when you combine those two elements you get the video above: OJ Simpson making a touchdown and the Assassin mascot making a stabbing motion. 2K says it's pure coincidence, but boy is it dramatic enough to get people's panties in a twist.We contacted 2K Sports and they said there were discussions about keeping OJ Simpson out of the game, but it eventually ended up that being a football legend, the man deserved to be in there. As for the whole Assassin thing, they didn't have an NFL license and consequently made up team names, one of them being the Assassins. They say you go through the character selection screen and you can make the team any way you want, it just happened that the two elements put together make for an incredibly awkward moment. Now, here is the key element to all of this: We asked, "Did 2K make the video for GameTrailers, therefore it being possible for [2K] to be implicated as having some hand in creating controversy?"The 2K Sports spokesperson said, "No, to the best of my knowledge, we didn't make that video." A second call from 2K Sports confirms that they did not make the video.So, if the drama does escalate from this point, it'll either be due to 2K having actually made the video, or people riding the wave of outrage over OJ Simpson's appearance in the game.[Via GamePolitics]Update: 2K Sports states clearly they did not make the video.
