Rumors of Amazon acquiring EA were false
The rumor-mill started early this morning with, apparently, a “Swedish media outlet” spreading the news of Amazon announcing today that it will pursue an acquisition of giant game publisher EA (Electronic Arts), according to MSNBC sources. This rumor turned out to be false.
The same sources from MSNBC stated that one of their own companies (assuming to be NBC related) had also been in talks to acquire or merge with EA, and confirming that it was “legit” although it did not go through. In comparison, the news of Amazon announcing their intent to acquire EA did not have the same legitimacy, according to MSNBC’s talks with people close to (or would have been close to) the matter.
There have been reports of EA talking with other companies like Apple and Disney, which doesn’t mean much because anyone can talk, but if these were more serious talks, and in light of the current M&A (mergers & acquisitions) activity in the gaming world, it is difficult to disregard the possibility of EA looking for a possible suitor. EA’s CEO, Andrew Wilson, says, “Our objective always and my objective as CEO of this company is always to take care of our people, our players and our shareholders. And should there ever be a way for us to do that differently than the way we’re doing it today, I, of course, have to be open to that. But I would tell you today, we feel very, very confident and excited for our future.” Although it sounds like they are staying the course, the words can also be taken to mean that they might consider being acquired, if it is best of the company and its shareholders.
