Business Battlefield
EA's looking for a buyer, and NBC almost went for it
NBCUniversal pulled out of the deal at the last minute, a new report says.
The video game industry has entered a perhaps-unprecedented era of acquisitions and mergers, and a new report from Puck suggests that FIFA and Battlefield publisher EA is trying to elbow in.
EA and NBCUniversal were reportedly pursuing a merger or acquisition until recently, but the negotiations broke down over price. Many versions of such a deal were on the table, including one that would've combined NBCUniversal and EA into one company separate from the Comcast mothership, with EA CEO Andrew Wilson at the head. The report also indicates that EA has approached other massive companies seeking a similar deal, including Disney and Apple.
Buy me up — When asked for comment by Kotaku, EA spokesperson John Reseburg stated that the company doesn't comment on rumors or speculation. Reseburg said that the company is operating from "a position of strength and growth," and that it sees "a very bright future ahead." Well, isn't that nice?
The gaming industry has seen a number of major mergers and acquisitions as of late, particularly Microsoft's blockbuster purchase of Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. GTA publisher Take-Two bought Zynga in January, and Sony bought Destiny 2 developer Bungie not long after.
Exclusivity, no thank you — While we don't know EA's exact financial situation, the company has notched a number of not-so-positive headlines in recent weeks. Most recently, EA announced that the next FIFA game isn't actually going to be called FIFA, as the decades-long deal that secured exclusive rights to the name has finally expired. And though EA has many Star Wars games in the pipeline as always, it isn’t the only show in town anymore, as there are approximately 527 games set in a galaxy far far away coming in the next few years.
