26/08/22 David Faber, a financial journalist for the US news network CNBC, refutes the idea that Amazon will announce its bid to buy EA, citing inside sources.
Rumours were circulating a few months ago that EA was up for grabs, with Amazon, Disney, and Apple appearing to be the front-runners for the acquisition. Well, the potential suitors may have been narrowed down to one, as Amazon is rumoured to have put in a formal offer for the company behind Battlefield, Madden, and Apex Legends, with a statement allegedly coming later today.
When Activision Blizzard’s buyout by Microsoft was announced for an eye-watering $68.7 billion, it was hard to see how anyone was going to come close to a gaming industry deal of similar magnitude. However, if the rumours about Amazon buying EA are true, then we could all be in for a shock.
After doubling down on their TV offerings as of late with the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, it could prove to be a shrewd decision to acquire EA’s back catalog of games in order to convert them for the viewing public. If the LotR series goes well, could we see a Dragon Age TV show in the future?
Initially reported here by GLHF, its sources say that a full statement from Amazon will be forthcoming this afternoon. PCGamesN has contacted EA for comment and will update this story with any further information.
Update: This was subsequently followed up by claims from David Faber, a financial journalist for the US news network CNBC that refutes the GLHF report. Faber says they’ve “talked to people who would actually know what’s going on” with regards to an Amazon bid for EA, and those sources claim there is “nothing going on”. He ends the segment by saying that it’s “not going to happen today,” which doesn’t completely close the door on the idea, but leaves a lot of scepticism.
EA’s stock price jumped to $135.90 USD following rumours earlier today regarding a potential takeover, but has since dipped to — as of this writing — $135.35 USD.
Until then, why not check out what Amazon has for you this month with the Prime Gaming September releases, and see what Amazon might be a part of with the most anticipated upcoming PC games 2022 and beyond. I wonder how long it’ll be before Amazon manages to own… everything?