Buzz
Sony May Consider Buying EA.
As reported, Microsoft has officially announced the successful acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion (~1.6 quadrillion VND). This marks the largest merger in the gaming world to date and underscores Microsoft's dominance ambition in this billion-dollar industry.
To acquire the parent company of Diablo and Call of Duty, Microsoft purchased a massive amount of Activision Blizzard shares at an average price of about $95/share. This led to a more than 25% increase in Activision Blizzard's stock in just a few days. This is seen as Microsoft's largest acquisition deal to date. Previously, the parent company of Windows acquired LinkedIn in 2016 for $26.2 billion.
Some analysts suggest that Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard could benefit gamers. Recently, Activision Blizzard has faced continuous criticism for 'sexual harassment' controversies within the company, leading the gaming community to lose trust in the studio. However, Microsoft's acquisition of a major game studio, which owns the Call of Duty and World of Warcraft brands, could significantly impact the current console market.
In response to Microsoft's acquisition moves of major game studios, analysts at Enders Analysis believe that if Sony wants to 'teach Microsoft a lesson', the company could acquire Electronic Arts or EA in the future. However, with the current market capitalization of only about $37 billion, Sony would be more reasonable to acquire smaller game studios like Take-Two or Ubisoft, priced at $18.33 billion and $6.9 billion respectively.
Meanwhile, analyst Eric Handler of MKM Partners seems to think that Disney might be interested in acquiring EA. Handler said: 'A great way for Disney to build its digital future is for Bob Chapek to step out and acquire EA.'
Currently, this is purely speculative, but for Sony in particular, many are wondering how the company might react to Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Sony's stock has plummeted after Microsoft's deal for Activision Blizzard was announced, wiping out $20 billion in Sony's market capitalization.
