EA getting bought out?

[Solmyr]

http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/rumor-electronic-arts-up-for-sale/

Electronic Arts is for sale say sources close to the matter. It's "early days," but Bethesda owner Providence Equity Partners is interested.


WTS: One behemoth video game publisher. Assets include global monopoly on licensed sports video games including FIFA and Madden NFL, PopCap Games (Bejeweled, Plants vs. Zombies). Will include runner-up military shooter franchises Medal of Honor and Battlefield so buyer can feel like second prettiest girl at the prom every November. Bonus: Respected Western RPG maker BioWare included, but buyer must also upkeep failing MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic (success of impending free-to-play shift not guaranteed.) Willingness to ruin legacy intellectual property with subpar product (see: SSX, Syndicate) recommended.

Those pesky rumors that Electronic Arts is up for sale are back once again. This time the New York Post is reporting that the Sims and Tiger Woods PGA Tour publisher is hunting for a buyer, though one of its sources says, "It's early days."

EA's initial steps were to approach private-equity firms Providence Equity Partners and KKR about a possible sale. Providence Equity Partners would find itself one of the biggest players in the global video game market once it had EA in its well-lined pocket. The firm already owns a majority stake ZeniMax, the publishing umbrella that includes Bethesda (Skyrim, Fallout) and id (Doom, Quake).

How attractive EA is though is a matter of optimism and perspective. The buyer needs to answer the billion dollar question: Is EA's business going to turn around. Over the course of 2012, EA's shed 37 percent of its value, its market cap dipping down to just over $4 billion. Shares in the company traded at close to $50 back in 2008, when boxed copies of The Sims 2 were still flying off shelves. Today, they trade just above $13. The Post's source said, "[EA's] made it known they'd do a deal at $20 a share."

The publisher's worked overtime to turn itself around in the past couple of years, aggressively adapting to a world where people are more likely to spend a buck on an iPhone game instead of $60 on a disc at Best Buy. Just this week EA announced that it's making major retail releases like Command & Conquer: Generals 2 into free-to-play games instead, banking on people spending small amounts with greater frequency than on a single game purchase. CEO John Riccitiello has done his best to make EA's recovery swift, but since its value continues to spiral down, shareholders are understandably losing confidence in him.

EA is an intellectual property treasure trove and its business infrastructure is second to none. Any potential buyer knows the truth though: It's full recovery isn't guaranteed, no matter how many copies Madden NFL 13 it sells.

Will this mean anything for gaming? Will SWTOR be left to die?

[Grey Fox]

They are all for sale.

Vivendi is also looking to sale ActivisionBlizzard.

[Syt]

Sign that the console boom is finally over?

[Martinus]

Sign that the console boom is finally over?

Elaborate.

[Syt]

Investment companies moving on to "greener pastures".

[Grey Fox]

Sign that the console boom is finally over?

Elaborate.

All 3 major consoles are pretty old. Only the WiiU is officially coming.
Game are very expensive
Steam, Facebook, IOS & Android has widely available cheap games.

[Neil]

And even when the next-gen actually drops (WiiU doesn't count), the price point is going to be crazy high.

[Habbaku]

Hopefully they get bought out and their pieces split and destroyed individually like they deserve.

[The Brain]

I remember when I had a positive image of EA. This was in the 80s.

[Syt]

[Martinus]

Investment companies moving on to "greener pastures".

Well, the fact that an investment company is selling on does not really indicate there is anything wrong with the business. Most investment companies have an investment cycle (usually around 5 years) during which they need to cash out and invest into another business. There are also investment companies which specialize in different stages of the business life cycle, and so on.

EA may be doing badly or worse than expected, but the fact that the shareholders are selling it does not in any way indicate one way or another.