Is the next mega deal imminent in the video game industry? According to unconfirmed reports, Electronic Arts is also interested in being acquired or entering into a merger.
After financial experts spoke out in January and stressed that Electronic Arts could be the next takeover candidate, EA’s chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen said in February that the publisher wants to grow itself, which apparently includes further acquisitions.
Irrespective of this, the publisher seems to be behind blockbusters like “FIFA”, which will soon be called something elseto put out feelers to buyers or partners. A report by puck EA is said to have been in the final stages of a deal with NBC Universal before the price negotiations broke down.
Disney, Apple and Amazon
Disney, Apple and Amazon are also said to have been on the list of companies approached by Electronic Arts.
“In recent years, media companies have shown greater interest in the fast-growing gaming industry [EA CEO Andrew] Wilson and Electronic Arts have been in talks with a variety of potential buyers, including Disney, Apple and Amazon, sources familiar with those talks tell me,” media reporter Dylan Beyers told Puck.
“Several sources familiar with these talks say that EA is doggedly looking to sell and has only been emboldened by the Microsoft-Activision deal,” Beyers continued.
There has been a closer relationship with Disney in particular in recent years, as EA has published several “Star Wars” titles over a decade. Building on that, the report said the publisher reportedly only approached Disney in March this year in hopes of a closer relationship outside of regular licensing deals.
Electronic Arts says so
These are rumours, conjectures and speculations that Electronic Arts does not wish to confirm. In response to Puck’s article, a statement said the publisher “is proud to operate from a position of strength and growth” and has a “very bright future ahead”.
However, EA spokesman John Reseburg clarified that EA “does not comment on rumors and speculation regarding mergers and acquisitions.” This can mean anything or anything as the speculation has neither been confirmed nor denied.
What is certain, however, is that the industry is in a phase of consolidation and in recent months and years even mega takeovers such as the $68 billion deal between Activision Blizzard and Microsoft have almost become the norm.
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Also the Sony’s $3.6 billion acquisition of Bungie and reports of Ubisoft’s rapprochement with private equity firms have generated a lot of buzz in the recent past.
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