Why Activision and Lucas' spat with the ESA isn't too big a deal

While Activision/Vivendi and LucasArts' decisions to leave the Entertainment Software Assn. are interesting -- and definitely not good news -- it's worth keeping some perspective. Such things aren't too unusual in the world of DC trade groups.

As one of the TV reporters here at Variety reminded me, the National Association of Broadcasters operated for several years without any of the nation's four major TV broadcasters. ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox had a dispute with NAB over the issue of station ownership and decided they weren't sending their money to a group that disagreed with them.  So around 2000, they all left. ABC re-joined in 2005 and NBC came back last year, but the other two are still not part of it.

Of course, NAB had a more diverse membership than ESA, what with all the local stations, radio broadcasters, etc. Based on Kotaku's reporting, however, it appears that the dispute Activision and LucasArts have with the ESA is simply a huge increase in dues (Vivendi Games is soon to be non-existent, so it has an excellent reason to stop paying dues). That makes a lot of sense, since Activision is famously the tightest of all the big U.S. publishers with its cash (that's partly how it ends up with the biggest profits).

So, unless there's truly a mass exodus from the ESA, which looks unlikely given EA's recent words, the group will probably be just fine. And given that LucasArts is participating and Activision is having an independent event at the same time in the same city, E3 won't be too different either.