When you consider EA’s prestige, media holdings, incomprehensibly large net worth, and previous purchases (Codemasters, Glu, Respawn), it might seem a bit surprising that the company hasn’t played an even more active role in the recent trend. consolidation of the gaming industry. . However, EA CEO Andrew Wilson has now confirmed that it’s not for lack of interest.
During EA’s fourth quarter and fiscal 2023 earnings call, Wilson stated that he not only anticipates more acquisitions and mergers in the entertainment industry in the future, but he loves the idea of EA becoming a “consolidator significant”.
“Will there be industry consolidation? Will there be broader entertainment consolidation? If I were predicting the long-term future, I’d say it’s almost a certainty on some level,” Wilson said. “I would love for us to have the scale to be a significant consolidator in that space. I think we have tremendous assets with respect to the future of entertainment.”
EA assets include long-running series like The Sims, Battlefield, and Need for Speed, the entire EA Sports catalog, live service games like Apex Legends, and licensed titles like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The company also has a separate label focused on investing in titles from smaller studios: EA Originals. This catalog of games includes It Takes Two from Hazelight Studios, the recently released Omega Force, Wild Hearts, and more.
Wilson also shared the company’s thoughts on Microsoft’s possible acquisition of Activision Blizzard, stating that the company is “indifferent” as to whether the deal goes through or not. According to Wilson, the possible purchase would likely have little consequence for EA or the company’s longstanding relationship with Microsoft. “Whether it is approved or not, we will continue to be the number one publisher on the Microsoft platform,” Wilson said.
As of now, Microsoft’s purchase of Activision is still pending approval. The acquisition recently faced a major hurdle after the UK Competition and Markets Authority called to block the $68.7 billion deal. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer stated that the technology company intends to appeal the decision and remains confident that the deal will finally go through.
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