According to Puck, Publisher EA reportedly seeking a buyer and has had discussions with Apple, Disney, Amazon, and Comcast Comcast-NBCUniversal. However, Apple is reportedly the front runner in talks with the company. Additionally, it was also announced that the conversations had with NBCUniversal went far but reportedly “fell apart within the last month.” According to Puck, Comcast-NBCUniversal chairman Brian Roberts reportedly approached EA with the goal of a merger in mind, suggesting spinning off NBCUniversal and merging it with EA. However, negotiations fell through due to “disagreements over price and structure.” It was also reported that EA would prefer a merger so Andrew Wilson would remain CEO of the merged company.
Apple has yet to confirm these reports. Regarding the rumor, EA spokesperson John Reseburg said the company would not comment on any “rumors and speculation relating to M&A.” (mergers and acquisitions). Reseburg also said, “We are proud to be operating from a position of strength and growth, with a portfolio of amazing games, built around powerful IP, made by incredibly talented teams, and a network of more than half a billion players. We see a very bright future ahead.”
Electronic Arts is a major video game publisher and developer headquartered in San Mateo, California. The company is known for developing and publishing several notable video game titles and series, including The Sims, FIFA, Madden, NHL, Dead Space, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Medal of Honor, Need for Speed Skate, Titanfall, and more.
The gaming industry has seen a slew of major acquisitions in recent years, with some of the most notable including Electronic Arts buying Codemasters for $1.2 billion last year, Microsoft who is in the process of acquiring Activision Blizzard for $69 billion, Take-Two acquiring Zynga for $12.7 billion, and Embracer Group recently in the process of buying Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal for $300 million.
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