At least it wasn’t Microsoft though, amirite? 
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Not ideal really, but I guess we’ll see what impact this has on games - DA Veilguard was pretty liberal, I loved it but with so much backlash from edgelords / outrage influencers online it was already likely future games would play it safe (particularly with the horrible state of the world with culture wars).
But in general they’ve tended to be hands-off owners, so maybe it’ll be OK - honestly if the next Mass Effect was suddenly really conservative I’d still not be sure whether to blame them or the culture in the USA at the moment, but it’d start to put me off as it’d suggest creative freedom was being restricted.
We’ll see I guess…
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The most realistic outcome is that within a few years they will be selling it for scrap.
Same… I wish there was a cheaper form of Ultimate that didn’t include EA going forward. Goodbye to any semblance of hope for Mass Effect.
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There’s bound to be “aggressive cost cutting” (aka layoffs and studio closures) ahead for EA.
I’m very curious what this will ultimately mean for BioWare, Respawn, and EA Play being included in Game Pass.
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I’m gonna be sad if this kills need for speed, sims,iron man game and mass effect. This probably kills any chance of burnout and command and conquer ever returning too.
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No way it kills The Sims, they’re still producing DLC for 4 years later - it’s a licence to print money which is why they’re being so cautious with 5 as it’s always risky moving a fanbase across versions
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so they added 20 billion dollars of debt to the company. this means 1 billion+ dollars per year to service this debt.
will be interesting to see how this develops. probably layoffs, cost cuttings and even more aggressive milking of their customer base.
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I mean, I feel like there’s a chance XGPU gets rid of EA play, but I don’t think it’ll be cheaper 
. EA Play was added as a “free bonus” after Ultimate launched.
I’d be devastated. We’ve already lost the Black Panther game and elsewhere WBGames canceled the Wonder Woman game and closed my favorite studio under them (and kept the nemesis system patent).
Ugh, it’s one of those purchases. I know that debt is treated as liquid gold for these companies, but it’s always a dangerous game. People understated Microsoft buying ABK in cash. That’s huge. And it keeps the investment safe. I remember when AT&T took on a massive MASSIVE debt to buy WB for like 70-80 billion. That ultimately led to them selling off WB with Discovery and telling the new company that the debt is their problem; WB is STILL struggling to recover and has lost so much value.
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Having found the time to read both this article and a windows central one… I can see why some comments are saying they want to boycott EA now. That Megamind “under new management” line comes to mind. The new owners don’t seem like… great people. I probably won’t care too much though because I don’t buy many EA games. I just hope Jedi Fallen Order 3 is still coming along well. Also I’m surprised Disney didn’t buy EA. I remember that rumor being popular.
Also, “Here are some mind-numbing business speak quotes…” - pure literature right there.
I don’t know if disney could of got EA, Disney is still in deep debt from their acquisition of Fox. I think if they want to get into gaming which is iffy their more likely to buy individual studios or maybe a small publisher. I think Ubisoft could be a good match for Disney in all honesty if it wasn’t for their debt.
WB games would also be a good pairing but unless Disney outright buys WB Discovery or the paramount WB merger rumours are true and WB decides to off load their gaming devision it probably won’t happen
WB gaming division without the WB IPs is worthless though - and WB itself is worthless without them so apart from a licensing deal (which would have an expiration date) I’ve never understood the interest, it’s just more developers on the payroll with none of their franchises to develop…
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I would typically agree but disney feels like the exception here and disney would want gaming studios to make licensed games on their own properties not to make origianal games, if disney did hypothetically did buy a gaming publisher most of that publishers studios would probably be pushed onto licensed games with a few being kept on big IPs with that publisher but obviously it would come down to the price WB would want
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I only figured EA because it feeds into their pipeline of licensed IP. Heck, EA is already making Star Wars and Marvel games. And Disney also owns ESPN for the sports games would be a good fit. Wasn’t aware they were still under debt, so timing is off. But I think in theory it’d make since just for them tightening the pipeline and trying to get more money out of it while bolstering the value of their media in other areas too (like all the “synergy” stuff).
Honestly, even if they could get WB Games without WB IP (since that media conglomerate deal would be too big for regulators otherwise; well maybe, I guess they were allowed to buy Fox despite that being a direct competitor too), I don’t think there’s that much talent at WB Games anymore. A lot of studios have closed. They’d have to get all the studios for cheap for it to be worth it.
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I think Disney will just keep licensing their stuff. EA could of been a good match but I don’t think Disney is in a position to drop $55 billion on a market that isn’t one of their core focuses. It could hypothetically of worked out if they could afford it, it would just be very risky. The play for disney feels like either buying individual studios, a small to mid sized publisher or just keep licensing.
Plus the EA argument would of been stronger in 2015-2017 when EA was getting exclusive deals. Now disney has licensing deals with Sony, Microsoft, Take Two, gameloft I think, Square Enix and by extention technically embracer group, Ubisoft and individual studios within the recent years and if we look a little further back we can also add Nintendo to that list due to marvel Allience game. Their are probably more i can’t remember. Also I believe EA stock was struggling more back then but not certain (I believe their stock fell for a while around the release of battlefield 5 which I think was around then)
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Would prefer if it wasn’t either, Microsoft I no longer trust with any acquisition since it seems like the higherups have taken over and have unrealistic profit expectations, I fear for Ninja Theory and any studio not making AAA games, and even those are likely not safe.
I doubt they’ll actually let some of these studios work on different things like Phil was saying before the ABK purchase.
As for this one, I expect it to be really really bad, and not just in terms of what profits they will expect but what impact it may have in the culture within those studios, I wonder what Mass Effect 4 will be like now… if it even happens.
I have a bad feeling about this acquisition, I think it goes way beyond just gaming, wouldn’t be surprised if several developers quit and form in their studios months after this acquisition is completed, either due to mass layoffs or something totally different.
Absolutely revolting and everything wrong with modern business practices. They’re vultures. The added $20 billion debt leveraged against the company as part of the buyout should be illegal as well but apparently anything goes.
Consider Electronic Arts as it was to be a defunct company now.
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