Bob Iger, the head of Disney, has been urged by his subordinates to buy a major publisher in order to put the company on the path to becoming a “gaming giant.”
This is stated in a recent Bloomberg article that explores what has been going on recently at Disney and details enough corporate intrigue and big numbers to support an entire season of Succession. The article claims that some of the company’s executives have proposed to Iger the idea of “a bolder transformation” of Disney’s status in the games industry through making a significant acquisition, amid stories about how the business’s film and TV-focused divisions are doing.
The report casually mentions Electronic Arts as an example of the kind of company Disney might be considering when discussing which publishers might be the target for such a purchase.
It’s crucial to remember that it also emphasizes that Iger has so far been “noncommittal” about such proposals.
If such a move were to ultimately become reality, Disney might be able to profit from the revenue generated by EA’s wide range of sports games, such as EAFC 24 and Madden NFL, as well as projects like Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi series.
It would also add to the never-ending list of significant transactions, like Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard and PlayStation’s acquisition of Bungie, which have helped the industry become much more heavily consolidated under the control of a small number of powerful corporations.
You can decide whether or not you think that’s a good thing, but given how many studio closings and layoffs there have been over the past year at some of the biggest names in gaming, it might not be worthwhile to applaud every time your preferred corporate entity opens its checkbook.
After all, life in the industry’s indie space isn’t the most stress-free right now either, what with its own rounds of layoffs and the occasional abrupt change in how developers are charged for the use of engines like Unity.
No matter how you feel about the state of the medium right now, you should read about EA Sports FC because in the world of football, big bucks are never just thrown around carelessly.