Disney boss Bob Iger’s underlings have been trying to convince the exec to set the company on the path to becoming a “gaming giant”, via the purchase of a big publisher.
This is according to a new report from Bloomberg, which delves into what recent times have been like behind the scenes at Disney, detailing enough corporate intrigue and large numbers to fuel an entire series of Succession. Amidst tales of how the film and TV focused arms of the business are faring, the feature claims that some of its executives have suggested to Iger the idea of “a bolder transformation” of Disney’s status in the games industry via making a big acquisition.
In terms of which publishers could be the target for such a purchase, the report casually mentions Electronic Arts as an example of the kind of firm Disney would possibly be looking at.
Though, it’s important to note that it also stresses that Iger has been “noncommittal” regarding such proposals to this point.
Were such a move to eventually end up coming to pass, it could potentially allow Disney to benefit from the cash generated by EA’s raft of sports titles, including EAFC 24 and Madden NFL, as well as the likes of Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi series.
It’d also mark yet another entry in the endless string of big deals, such as Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard and PlayStation’s procurement of Bungie, which have contributed to the industry becoming much more heavily consolidated under the banners of a few big corps.
Whether or not you believe that’s a good thing is up to you, but given just how many instances of layoffs and studio shutterings that have taken place in the past year under the banners of some of gaming’s largest fish, perhaps it’s not worth cheering every time your favourite corporate entity whips out its chequebook.
After all, between its own rounds of layoffs and the occasional sudden change to how developers are charged for the use of engines like Unity, life in the industry’s indie space isn’t the most stress-free either right now.
Regardless of how you feel about the current state of the medium, it’s worth checking out our coverage of EA Sports FC, since large sums of money are never just thrown around willy nilly in the world of football.
