Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts, has said that the publishing behemoth remains ‘indifferent’ to Microsoft’s planned buyout of Activision Blizzard, but admits the company is open to possible mergers down the line.
This is a question I get asked a lot – I almost am never allowed to answer that question, as it turns out. What I would say is, I don’t know what’s going to happen with Activision and Microsoft.
Again, we continue to be Microsoft’s biggest partner – I think we’re the number one publisher on their platform – so whether that deal goes through or not is not really material to us broadly. We think we have the scale [with] our network, our IP and our talent to continue to navigate the future and lead the future of entertainment, and compete in a marketplace regardless of whether that deal goes through or not.
Longer term, you know, will there be industry consolidation? Will there be broader entertainment consolidation? If I was predicting the future over the long term I would say that’s an almost certainty at some level.
I would love for us to have the scale to be a meaningful consolidator in that space. I think that we have tremendous assets with respect to the future of entertainment. But as it stands today, I think that we’re indifferent as to whether [Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard] goes through or not.
We feel like we have an incredible strategy, we feel like we have an incredible opportunity, and whether it goes through or not we will continue to be the number one publisher on the Microsoft platform.
Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard was blocked in the UK recently by the CMA, although it has been approved in numerous other countries. The Xbox format holder has said that it aims to contest the decision.
[Source – VGC]