On the back of the announcement of Microsoft acquiring PlayFab came some very interesting rumors. It seems that the tech giant may have tried to acquire some major players in the video games industry. One of those potential targets may have been Electronic Arts according to sources who spoke to the journalists at Polygon.
Such a massive acquisition seems improbable on the surface. As of this writing Electronic Art’s market cap is currently over $36 Billion. Polygon says the source of this rumor is a reliable one, however.
As with most rumors that surface on the internet, it is best to take this one with a grain of salt unless an actual announcement is made. With that out of the way, let’s imagine what a video game industry with a Microsoft-owned Electronic Arts might look like.
I think it is safe to say that franchises such as FIFA, Madden and Star Wars would still see games release on other consoles. The brand managers at FIFA and the NFL want to see more people exposed to their franchises and EA may even be contractually obligated to keep FIFA on multiple platforms. What we would likely see is those franchises launching on Game Pass as Microsoft has announced future first party titles will ship on the subscription service day and date with their retail launches.
We can also expect to see EA Access folded into Xbox Game Pass. The early access trials would probably end but there would not be a wait for the games to be added to the Vault.
Other EA franchises like Mass Effect or Battlefield would be far murkier.
Microsoft is also rumored to have an interest in acquiring Valve and PUBG Corp. The latter is far easier to believe in my opinion.
