The video game industry is moving at a rapid pace, but it might seem hard for companies to keep up with the expansion of the largest shareholders.
Many video game publishers are trying to not fall behind Microsoft, Sony, and Take-Two Interactive, which have all acquired major video game developers to increase their slice of the video game market.
Electronic Arts (EA) is in a similar situation. After parting ways with the licensing rights to Star Wars and FIFA, EA has reportedly explored the possibility of selling or merging with an existing media company.
Despite this speculation, an EA spokesperson said that the company won’t comment on rumors surrounding a merger and acquisition.
“We are proud to be operating from a position of strength and growth, with a portfolio of amazing games, built around powerful IP, made by incredibly talented teams, and a network of more than half a billion players,” the spokesperson said. “We see a very bright future ahead.”
For the past few years, EA has greatly increased its catalog of companies and intellectual property, primarily in the ever-growing mobile gaming market. In 2021, EA acquired two major mobile video game developers in a three-month span — Glu Mobile and Playdemic — for a combined USD 3.4 billion.
Despite owning several high-selling video game franchises such as Madden, Mass Effect, and The Sims, EA has found a home in smartphone gaming. Mobile gaming is a lot more accessible than computer or console gaming, and it can open the door to a new world of gamers. In 2021, there were an estimated 3.24 billion mobile gamers in the world, and the mobile games market is projected to grow by 11.5% to USD 153.5 billion by 2027.
EA released the mobile version of the popular battle royale Apex Legends in May 2022, and announced in the same month that it is developing a free-to-play mobile game based on the “Lord of the Rings” movies, titled “The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth.”
The two games add to EA’s large collection of mobile video games, including the Bejeweled, Plants vs. Zombies, and Need for Speed franchises.
EA faces tough competition from Apple and Google, but this still shows a positive trend for the video game market as a whole. Competition between these companies is beneficial for consumers and other developers looking to make a name for themselves.
While it is still possible that EA will sell its company or merge with another one, the investments made into the growing mobile gaming market should be celebrated. Mobile video games have grown at a rapid pace over the past decade, and video game companies have fully jumped on the bandwagon.
GosuRabbit is a marketing agency that specialises in providing entertainment, esports and gaming marketing services for brands, businesses and agencies across the globe.
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