EA Reportedly Talked With Disney, Apple, and More About Being Acquired or Merging
Electronic Arts has reportedly spoken with a number of tech giants such as Disney and Apple about being acquired. EA is one of the biggest gaming publishers out there thanks to its iron grip on major sport IPs like Madden and UFC, but it also manages other huge AAA franchises like Battlefield, Need for Speed, and Mass Effect. Although gamers have a lot of mixed feelings on the company, there's no denying its presence in the gaming industry is utterly massive and makes it a lucrative business for just about everyone involved... which could result in the publisher getting acquired.
According to a report from Puck (via Kotaku), EA wants to sell the company to the likes of Apple, Amazon, Disney, or one of many other giant corporations. The company has already held talks with the aforementioned companies and no deal is actively in the works, but a deal with NBC Universal almost happened. The deal reportedly fell apart over pricing, but it shows that EA is ready to make the deal if the price is right. Although an EA spokesperson denied these claims to Kotaku, the report from Puck noted that EA is interested in some kind of merger and has been more enthusiastic about the idea since the news that Microsoft was acquiring Activision.
"Several sources familiar with these talks say EA has been persistent in pursuing a sale, and has only grown more emboldened in the wake of the Microsoft-Activision deal," said Puck's Dylan Beyers. "Others say that EA is primarily interested in a merger arrangement that would allow Wilson to remain as chief executive of the combined company."
As already noted, this comes off the heels of the news that Microsoft is purchasing Activision in the biggest deal in the history of the gaming industry. The nearly $70 billion deal is expected to close by next summer if everything goes according to plan. EA could be more interested in this deal as it abandoned its deal with FIFA and will lose the rights to be the exclusive publisher of Star Wars games in 2023. As of right now, only time will tell if EA finds an offer that it is happy with.
Do you want to see EA merge with another major corporation? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.