Ever since the major bombshell that is the news of Microsoft acquiring ZeniMax Media, there have been a few other major acquisitions hot on its tail. This includes the former’s acquisition of a bigger gaming giant in the form of Activision Blizzard, and more recently, the acquisition of Bungie by Sony. Over the weekend, word was that another acquisition was about to happen. But another report refuting the claim appeared just as quickly as the report with the initial claim.
The initial report claimed that Amazon has made a bid to acquire Electronic Arts, initially citing sources familiar with the matter. Not too long after the report was published, CNBC refuted the report, citing its own sources who would be familiar with such acquisitions. The US business news channel claims that its sources were previously involved when its parent company, Comcast NBCUniversal, considered acquiring the video games publisher.
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
Back in May, news outlet Puck reported that EA was looking to be acquired by other companies in addition to Comcast. The list of those companies included Amazon, as well as others like Apple and Disney. Regarding that last one in particular, EA CEO Andrew Wilson was reportedly looking to establish “a more meaningful relationship” between the two beyond just the licensing deals. Currently EA and Disney have a Star Wars exclusivity deal, which is expiring next year.
Overall, it looks like nothing much has changed since the initial Puck report back in May. EA may well be still looking for potential acquirers, and Amazon is not making a move on that front for now. Though for what it’s worth, the whole development did send the video games publisher’s stock prices into a tizzy. Which must have been fun for the people who are invested on that side of the business.
