For about four years and the takeover ball launched by Microsoft, video games seem to be entering a new phase of restructuring of the giants who dominate this industry. After the takeover of Activision Blizzard par Microsoft and the changes at Square Enixrumor has it that the next company to be bought could be Electronic Arts.
Image credit: Electronic Arts
The Giant’s Head
Gone are the days when Electronic Arts was an absolute giant in game distribution, with licenses like Harry Potter. EA recently lost theexploitation of the FIFA licensein addition to no longer having exclusive to Star Wars games and games like Battlefield 2042 that struggle to convince.
It’s no surprise, then, that Electronic Arts could be the next company to look for a buyer, especially with its share price dropping 10% in just a few months. And according to the Puck website, it is Brian Roberts, the CEO of the Comcast group, who would have been in contact with Andrew Wilson, the current CEO of Electronic Arts, in order to a possible merger with NBCUniversal. The idea would have been for the Roberts family to retain control, while leaving Wilson at the helm of the company.
However, the two entities did not reach an agreement, after several weeks of negotiations, following a conflict on the structure that this merger should have taken, as well as on the price.
According to Puck, other companies would have been targeted by Electronic Arts, in order to find an agreement which would have ensured that Andrew Wilson remained at the head of the merged company. This is the name Disney, which EA would have approached, but which did not show interest in the offer. It must be said that the mouse-eared giant has moved away from the direct production and distribution of video games for several years now. Preferring to let other studios work for them, such as Ubisoft or Quantic Dream who are working on the next Star Wars titles.
Other companies have been mentioned such as Apple, but it seems unlikely that the American giant is interested in buying EA. Although there are rumors that Apple is developing its own console, the company has never been known to make such big acquisitions. Preferring to buy small studios or promising companies, in order to integrate their technology and their know-how.
A more serious player for an Electronic Arts purchase would be Amazon. The latter is not particularly renowned for his successes in video games, despite his acquisition of Twitch and his MMO New World which had an incredible start, only to be deserted after a few months. It would therefore not be surprising if the juggernaut of online distribution is very interested in EA, in order to acquire its studios and its catalog of games, with the aim of strengthening its position in the video game industry. .
For the moment, the bets are in any case still open.