EA has lately held negotiations with Disney, Apple, Amazon, and Comcast-NBCUniversal about a possible sale.
Another story claims that Apple has been in talks with Electronic Arts (EA) regarding a prospective takeover of the company that makes games like Battlefield and EA Sports.
According to a paywalled Puck article, EA has been “persistent in pursuing a deal”. GR’s take on the matter:
NBC parent firm Comcast CEO Brian Roberts reportedly approached EA CEO Andrew Wilson with a plan to merge the media and gaming companies into one entertainment company, according to a report by Puck. With the deal, the Roberts family would have had a controlling stake in the corporation, with Wilson likely handling the day-to-day operations. Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal, would’ve been promoted to a higher-up position at Comcast in the most serious version of the agreement. Disagreements about price and structure are said to be to blame for the deal’s demise.
According to the article, Disney, Apple, and Amazon have also discussed a prospective merger with EA, but no further information was provided on the nature of these discussions or when they took place. Everyone is always talking to everyone, and EA has probably spoken with more companies than the ones listed above, according to Jeff Grubb on Twitter. According to the report, following the Microsoft Activision merger, EA has been “emboldened.”
A buyer would gain access to some of gaming’s most powerful intellectual property, including EA Sports franchises, Battlefield, and more, if they were to acquire EA.