Current Events > Polygon: MS looking into acquire EA

(+) Yeah! (+)

If bioware becomes exclusive to Microsoft, that'd be fucking huge.
---

EA would help MS a lot in Europe and double-down on the American support. Doesnt do shit for Japan but I guess its just kinda accepted that Microsoft has given up on that market long ago.

I cant see them spending the money on EA, I would have also never guessed they would have spent a couple billion on Mojang too so who knows. And I guess we could possibly see Microsoft buy EA and then not even make them an exclusive dev, but instead just work on exclusive DLC, early releases, etc for XB/PC. The new Microsoft is a weird fucking beast.
---

It would be a funny transition for Mass Effect. Going from a Microsoft published game to EA and back to Microsoft a decade later.
---

Questionmarktarius posted...

Maybe this is Microsoft maneuvering towards somehow finally convincing PC gamers to actually pay for Xbox Live, by cornering Origin as well.

Will never happen.

Why would PC gamers need to buy live? What would live offer to them that is of value that doesn't come from free software?

Party chat = discord

etc
---

darkphoenix181 posted...

What would live offer to them that is of value that doesn't come from free software?

A nigh monopoly.

I don't see EA, or even Microsoft, making EA games console exclusive. They like money too much. If anything they'd have them develop specific exclusives and everything else is still multiplat
---

I wonder if they're considering Ubisoft. They seem vulnerable to an acquisition and they'd be saving them from Vivendi. EA is a better fit though.
---

Corrik posted...

I thought the bigger suggestion I saw there was Valve. Forget EA. That would be huge.

Valve is privately owned and Gabe will tell Nadella to fuck off after what happened with Windows 8. There is no chance of Microsoft acquiring Valve.

EA is a different story. They actually have a chance for that. Note that they've tried this before with Yahoo and it didn't really work out so it's not a guarantee, but at least they have a chance.
---

Questionmarktarius posted...

darkphoenix181 posted...

What would live offer to them that is of value that doesn't come from free software?

A nigh monopoly.

What monopoly?

The biggest PC games are Activision properties.

Then you got hundreds of indie games.

And it would just encourage pirates to break into their code so they don't have to use live if they made it to where their few games required live.
---

I have a sneaking suspicion that consolidation will continue to happen in the industry. Which isn't a good thing. Less competition, less reason to innovate.
---

darkphoenix181 posted...

And it would just encourage pirates to break into their code so they don't have to use live if they made it to where their few games required live.

Are you suggesting that won't be fun to watch?

pres_madagascar posted...

If bioware becomes exclusive to Microsoft, that'd be fucking huge.

BioWare backed up by the money printing machine that is Microsoft, and liberated from EA's tainted influence

I'm hard.
---

Eh, it isn't as if M$ could make EA any worse after acquiring it. And then EA games being PC/Xbox only doesn't matter much if you own a PC.
---

Very interesting, very desperate move if true...

Think about how Microsoft acquired the wonderful Lionhead and drove them into the ground... they acquired the revered Rare and drove them into the ground...

EA is already terrible... will Microsoft drive them into the ground or will it be the opposite and they suddenly become a good company?
---

VectorChaos posted...

pres_madagascar posted...

If bioware becomes exclusive to Microsoft, that'd be fucking huge.

BioWare backed up by the money printing machine that is Microsoft, and liberated from EA's tainted influence

I'm hard.

If they made all bioware and ea exclusive to xbox/pc. That'd be a huge blow to to sony.
---

KazumaKiryu posted...

EA is already terrible... will Microsoft drive them into the ground or will it be the opposite and they suddenly become a good company?

Two black holes colliding only makes a bigger black hole.

Darmik posted...

I wonder if they're considering Ubisoft. They seem vulnerable to an acquisition and they'd be saving them from Vivendi. EA is a better fit though.

Ubisoft and Take-Two seem like a pair of names(other than EA) to watch. Both have very popular games and are significantly cheaper than EA is. I don't know shit about the logistics of taking over either company but both names make sense as companies which have strong AAA franchises which fit the Xbox brand.
---

What would this mean for EA's exclusivity deal on Star Wars games? I imagine that would break their contract.
---

halomonkey1_3_5 posted...

Darmik posted...

I wonder if they're considering Ubisoft. They seem vulnerable to an acquisition and they'd be saving them from Vivendi. EA is a better fit though.

Ubisoft and Take-Two seem like a pair of names(other than EA) to watch. Both have very popular games and are significantly cheaper than EA is. I don't know shit about the logistics of taking over either company but both names make sense as companies which have strong AAA franchises which fit the Xbox brand.

Never in a million years would Rockstar go single platform exclusive again.

Gta5/gta online has made more money since 2014 than microsoft's entire games division combined(outside of hardware sales that is)
---

EA having the same fate many of the companies they bought and killed would be ironic and deserving. Or am I suppose to like EA now?
---

KazumaKiryu posted...

What would this mean for EA's exclusivity deal on Star Wars games? I imagine that would break their contract.

Yep. It'd throw all sorts of things into chaos honestly.

The thing is, Sony has far, far, far more install base than Ms, and EA would lose a fuck load of money going ms exclusive. The majority of EA sales come from ps4
---

anyway this article is completely speculative. there is literally no rumor. just a bunch of economists saying "it would make sense if Microsoft bought EA and they have the cash to do it."
---

No way Disney will allow Starwars games to only be released on one system.
---

Error1355 posted...

I have an Xbox One X and are quite pleased with it, tbh.

---

pres_madagascar posted...

KazumaKiryu posted...

What would this mean for EA's exclusivity deal on Star Wars games? I imagine that would break their contract.

Yep. It'd throw all sorts of things into chaos honestly.

The thing is, Sony has far, far, far more install base than Ms, and EA would lose a fuck load of money going ms exclusive. The majority of EA sales come from ps4

Yeah and I'm thinking about FIFA and how huge that is in Europe where they ALL are on PlayStation, that would wreck them.
---

Tyranthraxus posted...

anyway this article is completely speculative. there is literally no rumor. just a bunch of economists saying "it would make sense if Microsoft bought EA and they have the cash to do it."

this, there's absolutely no substance here.

just "microsoft has $X and EA costs $Y, so they could buy them!" which is dumb and not how corporations work at all
---

KazumaKiryu posted...

pres_madagascar posted...

KazumaKiryu posted...

What would this mean for EA's exclusivity deal on Star Wars games? I imagine that would break their contract.

Yep. It'd throw all sorts of things into chaos honestly.

The thing is, Sony has far, far, far more install base than Ms, and EA would lose a fuck load of money going ms exclusive. The majority of EA sales come from ps4

Yeah and I'm thinking about FIFA and how huge that is in Europe where they ALL are on PlayStation, that would wreck them.

Precisely. Fifa is a juggernaut in Europe.
---

pres_madagascar posted...

KazumaKiryu posted...

pres_madagascar posted...

KazumaKiryu posted...

What would this mean for EA's exclusivity deal on Star Wars games? I imagine that would break their contract.

Yep. It'd throw all sorts of things into chaos honestly.

The thing is, Sony has far, far, far more install base than Ms, and EA would lose a fuck load of money going ms exclusive. The majority of EA sales come from ps4

Yeah and I'm thinking about FIFA and how huge that is in Europe where they ALL are on PlayStation, that would wreck them.

Precisely. Fifa is a juggernaut in Europe.

And the stockholders who got a huge buyout won't care.

pres_madagascar posted...

KazumaKiryu posted...

What would this mean for EA's exclusivity deal on Star Wars games? I imagine that would break their contract.

Yep. It'd throw all sorts of things into chaos honestly.

The thing is, Sony has far, far, far more install base than Ms, and EA would lose a fuck load of money going ms exclusive. The majority of EA sales come from ps4

At that point EA would simply be a part of Microsoft. So I don't know if that would matter anymore.

Tyranthraxus posted...

anyway this article is completely speculative. there is literally no rumor. just a bunch of economists saying "it would make sense if Microsoft bought EA and they have the cash to do it."

I don't think this will happen but the article does mention a source. Microsoft is a huge ass company though so even an internal source doesn't really mean anything.

Phil Spencer had mentioned acquisitions recently though. But I think they'll buy developers over a publisher.

KazumaKiryu posted...

Yeah and I'm thinking about FIFA and how huge that is in Europe where they ALL are on PlayStation, that would wreck them.

I think Microsoft would keep FIFA on PS4.

Next Gen could be different. If they kept the licence that would be a huge advantage for Xbox. The other possibility is FIFA/Madden could license to another publisher like 2K.

creativerealms posted...

No way Disney will allow Starwars games to only be released on one system.

They're letting Spider-Man be PS4 exclusive.
---

Darmik posted...

They're letting Spider-Man be PS4 exclusive.

Spider-Man is owned by Sony.
---

KazumaKiryu posted...

Darmik posted...

They're letting Spider-Man be PS4 exclusive.

Spider-Man is owned by Sony.

Only the movie rights are.
---

Darmik posted...

pres_madagascar posted...

KazumaKiryu posted...

What would this mean for EA's exclusivity deal on Star Wars games? I imagine that would break their contract.

Yep. It'd throw all sorts of things into chaos honestly.

The thing is, Sony has far, far, far more install base than Ms, and EA would lose a fuck load of money going ms exclusive. The majority of EA sales come from ps4

At that point EA would simply be a part of Microsoft. So I don't know if that would matter anymore.

Tyranthraxus posted...

anyway this article is completely speculative. there is literally no rumor. just a bunch of economists saying "it would make sense if Microsoft bought EA and they have the cash to do it."

I don't think this will happen but the article does mention a source. Microsoft is a huge ass company though so even an internal source doesn't really mean anything.

Phil Spencer had mentioned acquisitions recently though. But I think they'll buy developers over a publisher.

KazumaKiryu posted...

Yeah and I'm thinking about FIFA and how huge that is in Europe where they ALL are on PlayStation, that would wreck them.

I think Microsoft would keep FIFA on PS4.

Next Gen could be different. If they kept the licence that would be a huge advantage for Xbox. The other possibility is FIFA/Madden could license to another publisher like 2K.

creativerealms posted...

No way Disney will allow Starwars games to only be released on one system.

They're letting Spider-Man be PS4 exclusive.

It would matter. Sales of those games would drop dramatically, and licensing deals may fall through.
---

@Error1355 posted...

I have an Xbox One X and are quite pleased with it, tbh.

Error = hivemind confirmed !!!
---

Did everyone gloss over that they may buy Valve? I would think that is more of a game changer than EA.
---

pres_madagascar posted...

It would matter. Sales of those games would drop dramatically, and licensing deals may fall through.

Matter to who? The shareholders would be bought out. So that just leaves the licensing stuff and that would entirely depend on the contracts already signed.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think this will happen because of how expensive it is. But if it did happen Microsoft would do whatever they wanted with EA. It could even be a move to become a monolith third party with Xbox Game Pass being a thing on several consoles. Who knows.
---

Darmik posted...

pres_madagascar posted...

It would matter. Sales of those games would drop dramatically, and licensing deals may fall through.

Matter to who? The shareholders would be bought out. So that just leaves the licensing stuff and that would entirely depend on the contracts already signed.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think this will happen because of how expensive it is. But if it did happen Microsoft would do whatever they wanted with EA. It could even be a move to become a monolith third party with Xbox Game Pass being a thing on several consoles. Who knows.

Fifa prints money for EA. They make a fuck load off it. Continuing to make a juggernaut amount of sales instead of a one time thing sounds better.

Though I do agree on your second point
---

@teepan95 posted...

Error1355 posted...

I have an Xbox One X and are quite pleased with it, tbh.

Error = hivemind confirmed !!!

Beep Bep
---

Jiggy101011 posted...

Did everyone gloss over that they may buy Valve? I would think that is more of a game changer than EA.

valve doesnt make any games though so they wouldnt bother
---

Error1355 posted...

@teepan95 posted...

Error1355 posted...

I have an Xbox One X and are quite pleased with it, tbh.

Error = hivemind confirmed !!!

Beep Bep

Error for Lead Moderator of the world?
---

Good.

Xbox deserves to have these games as exclusives
---

DarthAragorn posted...

Jiggy101011 posted...

Did everyone gloss over that they may buy Valve? I would think that is more of a game changer than EA.

valve doesnt make any games though so they wouldnt bother

Actually that would be perfect for Microsoft
---

Lmao look what just happened

https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2018/01/29/microsoft-acquires-playfab-accelerating-game-development-innovation-cloud/
---

If this happened (and I seriously don't think it will) I could see it going two ways.

1. It's an extremely aggressive move to make Xbox the default video game console. Buying out the biggest third party publisher isn't solely a gain for Xbox but it's a massive blow against Sony. It's their attempt to create a console monopoly. Battlefield, The Sims. Need for Speed etc. are now all Xbox/PC exclusive games. EA Sports games depend on licensing agreements. It's possible Microsoft would treat those like Minecraft and keep them third party and reap the profits. Or they could make them Microsoft exclusive next generation. Or they simply lose the rights to another third party. I don't see sports games leaving the PS4. Origin is swallowed up by the Windows 10 Marketplace and EA Access is swallowed up by Xbox Games Pass.

2. It's a move to be the Netflix of gaming. Microsoft immediately puts EA games on Xbox Games Pass. I think with this move Xbox is no longer just a hardware division. They'll be looking to put Xbox Game Pass on as many platforms as possible. PS4, Switch etc. One subscription and you can play games on all of these platforms. This could also lead to Halo, Gears, Forza etc. going third party to boost the subscription on other platforms. You could even see Xbox emulation on different platforms too. Xbox consoles still exist but they're marketed as the primary platform for Xbox Games Pass. Microsoft blur the lines between being a first and third party company.

But I doubt either of these will happen. I don't think Microsoft would purchase EA to maintain a current status quo. The long term goal would have to be extreme.
---

Darmik posted...

1. It's an extremely aggressive move to make Xbox the default video game console. Buying out the biggest third party publisher isn't solely a gain for Xbox but it's a massive blow against Sony. It's their attempt to create a console monopoly. Battlefield, The Sims. Need for Speed etc. are now all Xbox/PC exclusive games. EA Sports games depend on licensing agreements. It's possible Microsoft would treat those like Minecraft and keep them third party and reap the profits. Or they could make them Microsoft exclusive next generation. Or they simply lose the rights to another third party. I don't see sports games leaving the PS4. Origin is swallowed up by the Windows 10 Marketplace and EA Access is swallowed up by Xbox Games Pass.

Why would buying a garbage developer that literally everyone hates make Xbone the default video game console?

Maybe Microsoft is looking to get out of hardware, and position itself as another Sega?

Darklit_Minuet posted...

Why would buying a garbage developer that literally everyone hates make Xbone the default video game console?

EA games sell by the bucketload, regardless of your opinion on them. Just having FIFA alone, would massively help them.
---

Darklit_Minuet posted...

Why would buying a garbage developer that literally everyone hates make Xbone the default video game console?

Because EA are the biggest third party developer in the industry? It would be a massive loss for Sony.

Consoles have lived and died thanks to EA's support. I have no idea what the gaming industry looks like with them removed from the equation because they're owned by a first party.
---

Funkydog posted...

Darklit_Minuet posted...

Why would buying a garbage developer that literally everyone hates make Xbone the default video game console?

EA games sell by the bucketload, regardless of your opinion on them. Just having FIFA alone, would massively help them.

Quality over quantity. No true gamer buys EA games even if the jocks and frat boys do. Xbone can be for casuals and PS4 will for gamers. I'd be fine with that

Darmik posted...

Because EA are the biggest third party developer in the industry? It would be a massive loss for Sony.

You call it a loss. I call it a victory

Darklit_Minuet posted...

Darmik posted...

Because EA are the biggest third party developer in the industry? It would be a massive loss for Sony.

You call it a loss. I call it a victory

It wasn't a victory for the Dreamcast or Wii U.
---