In a report to USAToday, it’s been announced that online retailer Amazon is looking into buying video game developer EA Games. The rumors didn’t last long, however, before they were directly addressed and refuted by representatives at Amazon. However, we’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve heard a rumor for it to be immediately debunked, and then a few days or weeks later it has been proven true.
After months of links between EA and various media conglomerates including Disney, Apple, and more, this could just be chalked up to another on the list, or it could be something more.
EA Games, A History
When gamers think of EA Games, usually the first thing that comes to mind would be their sports franchises. From FIFA (soon to be renamed EA Sports FC in 2023) to Madden, NFL, and more, EA has carved a niche in the gaming market that few other developers have managed to challenge.
With official licenses for the sports allowing them to include real teams, players, stadiums, and competitions, the different franchises give players a level of realism that can’t be matched, at least concerning immersion anyway. Much maligned for the gameplay and accusations of a cookie-cutter nature about their annual releases, EA Games isn’t a fondly thought of developer, that’s for sure.
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Even with games such as the Mass Effect series, The Sims franchise, and Dead Space, they’ve also managed to create a few PR faux pas, most recently coming under fire for their poor attempt at getting involved with a viral trend.
They’re a 10 but they only like playing single-player games
— Electronic Arts (@EA) June 30, 2022
It’s just one in a long list of missteps by the company, famed for its treatment of its employees, as unfortunately, many game developers are becoming synonymous with these days. They’re also not a developer known for taking many creative risks, especially in recent years, with most of their AAA games being the aforementioned sports franchises or games based on established IPs, like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Amazon In The Gaming Market?
Over the last few months, the gaming world seems to be inundated with the latest purchase of a big studio by a bigger company. The two most recent being the surprising acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft and in response, Sony bought Bethesda.
Both studios, now owned by one of the two biggest gaming hardware developers, have franchises that are playable over the two systems, but these recent acquisitions could mean a future with a more divided player base when gamers worldwide seem to what the complete opposite. As of now, no changes have been announced to the likes of Call of Duty or the Fallout series, for example, but that could always change.
The main difference between the two purchases above and the most recent rumor is that, unlike Sony and Microsoft, Amazon doesn’t have a console to bolster its game libraries. Does this potential rumor add fuel to the fire that they’d like to change? Or perhaps they just want to purchase the developer, getting a proper stake in the gaming industry less directly?
Either way, the rumor of Amazon buying EA Games was quickly debunked throughout media outlets, but as already said, where there is smoke, there’s fire.
Amazon is not going to make a bid for Electronic Arts, sources tell CNBC's @DavidFaber. Shares of $EA surged earlier on a report citing a "rumor." pic.twitter.com/k7wk0Fy7xv
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) August 26, 2022
Both EA and Amazon stocks had a slight bump in their stock prices after the rumor from USAToday hit general media, but soon dropped back down to normal after the reports were refuted. With many different purchases occurring in the video game development market, a publisher of EA’s standing being bought by a company like Amazon – with both having poor working conditions and no regard for their employees – seems like an obvious match.
Source: ComicBook
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