It's a report, spun from fevered discussion, born from a single sentence, taken likely from a post it on a board from an unproductive brainstorming meeting but the current chatter of choice relates to the idea that Microsoft may be considering a full $35bn buy out of EA.
For now I'm going to set aside the ill informed fan concerns of such a partnership but will instead entertain the notion given it was once considered impossible that they would own Rare.
Microsoft has an issue. Their ip count is low and stale, their platform is fading into last place, generations are extending and there seems to be little in the way of a decisive plan to turn things around. Microsoft seems to be a little aware of the issue and there have been some small moves such as gaining exclusivity on PUBG and their acquisition of Mojang.
However, the purchase of EA would likely cause industry shockwaves the likes of which has never been seen. It's a little much to believe EA would necessarily retain the licenses it currently holds such as FIFA or Star Wars in such an eventuality but the company undoubtedly has a raft of active and dormant ip's in addition to a mountain of resources that MS would benefit from such as DICE, Origin etc.
It would also pull a lot of content away from Sony's console given how large a presence EA is in the industry.
However, though a hostile attempt is theoretical, it's very hard to believe EA would like any idea of being bought out.
As a gamer, how do you think things would pan out if this unlikely buyout occurred and what would it mean to you?
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