Rumors are circulating that tech giant Amazon is about to acquire Electronic Arts, with an announcement expected later this day.
Update:
Amazon's reported acquisition of EA has been rubbished by CNBC's David Faber, claiming that those who would be privy to such a deal say there is "nothing going on" with regard to the sale of EA.
Amazon is not going to make a bid for Electronic Arts, sources tell CNBC's @DavidFaber. Shares of $EA surged earlier on a report citing a "rumor." pic.twitter.com/k7wk0Fy7xv
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) August 26, 2022
It looks like these rumors are just that. If we hear any more we'll let you know.
Original story:
Amazon is reportedly on the cusp of acquiring Electronic Arts (EA), following a trend of big-money acquisitions in the gaming industry.
The company, founded by sometimes world's richest man Jeff Bezos, is rumored to be in the process of acquiring EA, home of many of gaming's biggest sports titles, including the long-running FIFA and Madden franchises, as well as Respawn Entertainment's Apex Legends, and DICE's Battlefield series.
The information comes courtesy of GLHF and USA Today, who cite unnamed sources, with the deal rumored to be announced later this day.
Such a deal would likely top Microsoft's $69 billion USD acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a deal which has yet to be finalized as it comes under scrutiny from regulatory authorities around the world.
Rumor: Amazon Is Set To Acquire EA
Amazon is already in the games industry, with their in-house development studio, Amazon Games Studio, releasing the massively multiplayer online role-playing game New World late last year. They also own Twitch, the world's leading live streaming service.
A move for EA and their large catalog of original IPs is a potential goldmine for Amazon, who are also in the business of making movies and TV shows, with the transmedia potential there for all to see.
Their game streaming service, Amazon Luna, could also benefit, with that same catalog of IPs offering up a ready-made inventory of games that could give the company a leg up as it looks to compete with Microsoft (Xbox Game Pass) and Sony (PlayStation Plus), among others, as the industry increasingly moves towards video game subscription services.
Whether this is a good thing for gamers is another matter, but with regulatory bodies the world over seemingly giving the 'okay' to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it seems that these mergers will go through no matter how it impacts the customers.