EA won't rule out further acquisitions

by Alexander Sliwinski { Dec 5th 2007 at 12:25PM }

Don't kid yourself, at this point we're all just waiting for EA to make some big acquisition announcement. Following the creation of Activision Blizzard, there's been a lot of speculation about what's going to happen in this newly launched third-party publisher arms race between ActiBlizz (AB? Blizzavision? Eh, we're still working on it) and EA. GI.biz spoke with EA's director of business development, Nick Button-Brown, who said, "It's always possible."

Button-Brown went on to say that he doesn't expect to see any effects of the Vivendi and Activision merger for at least six months. He says his job is to find new IP and work with developers whether they acquire them or not, and makes sure to say that "there are no hostile takeovers." Although Button-Brown saying that acquisitions being possible is pretty much a "duh" statement, industry watchers are just waiting to see what EA's next big move is.

Tags: activision-blizzard, ea, electronic-arts, merger

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

SlimJiminat0r @ Dec 5th 2007 12:41PM

I think you're looking for "ActiBlizion."

Korova @ Dec 5th 2007 1:20PM

Maybe blingzardvision!

I prefer AB.

Are there two big developers starting with C (CodeMasters) and one with D (???) that can now merge and make this industry really 5-letter short: AB CD and EA.

Sonofield @ Dec 5th 2007 12:40PM

They just bought BioWare/Pandemic for $800 billion! That wasn't a "big move"?!

Burritoclock @ Dec 5th 2007 12:45PM

Um, you are off by three zero's there...

Sonofield @ Dec 5th 2007 12:43PM

*million

gonk @ Dec 5th 2007 12:40PM

maybe they could put out a non-buggy game?

TrenchyC @ Dec 5th 2007 1:29PM

I agree, they should aquire an actually testing team. They finally released a patch for Madden... the damn thing came out in July!

Oh and the patch didn't fix the game yet. Still way too many fumbles. The game is damn near unplayable due to all its issues. You wouldn't know it though from all the gaming mags/reviewers out there and their easy 7-10 scales though.

gevenstaines @ Dec 5th 2007 12:48PM

i prefer "blizzavision", tho "AB" is short and sweet.

deABREU @ Dec 5th 2007 1:11PM

actizzard! even sounds like a pokemon or something

FrankTheCrank @ Dec 5th 2007 12:57PM

I want the world,
I want the whole world.
I want to lock it all up in my pocket
It's my bar of chocolate
Give it to me now!

FOXHOUND @ Dec 5th 2007 1:05PM

Nice icon, great show(that needs to be on DVD).

As for EA snatching up any other developers out there, I figure it's just a matter of time. Personally speaking, if I had a lucrative development crew worth snatching, I'd totally sellout. That's the new American Dream there.

Oh, and Gene Wilder=Willy Wonka. He was better.

Eightballfreek @ Dec 5th 2007 12:57PM

It has to be Actlizzardion.

Genius.

daedalus @ Dec 5th 2007 1:08PM

They're all Actards now

Kentuckyfried @ Dec 5th 2007 1:13PM

How come nobody has commented on the name "button-brown"?

It may be 4 kinds of awesome and 6 kinds of stupid, but it's still worth a mention

wickedpheonix @ Dec 5th 2007 1:19PM

BEST CAPTION PICTURE EVER

veruca salt from the musical "willy wonka and the chocolate factory" was the biggest stereotype of a spoiled brat who wanted instant gratification for everything or else she SCREAMED lol....

Yuccadude @ Dec 5th 2007 1:23PM

Isn't that like Bush saying he wants peace in the middle east, but won't rule out starting another war there?

Burritoclock @ Dec 5th 2007 1:37PM

Um, no it's nothing like that.

ThornedVenom @ Dec 5th 2007 1:44PM

I bet that EA is trying to swallow Ubisoft. xD

Pyronite @ Dec 5th 2007 1:46PM

Doesn't EA already own a share of UbiSoft?

It will be a dark day in gaming if that acquisition ever occurs. But as far as I know, that would still be categorized as "hostile takeover," so it doesn't look like that one is in the books.

ThornedVenom @ Dec 5th 2007 7:06PM

Are you for real?!!

No... NO.... NOOOOOoOOOOOooo!!!

zero @ Dec 5th 2007 2:13PM

Button-Brown? Worst. Name. Ever.

Signed,
Zipper-Black.

arleigh.sandoc @ Dec 5th 2007 2:40PM

There's still Take-Two they can go try and acquire either as a mutual merger or as a hostile-takeover.

Andy S. @ Dec 5th 2007 2:48PM

Wow. EA might be considering acquiring a smaller developer. What a shock.

In other, equally surprising news, Microsoft is working on ways to make more money, Duke Nukem Forever has been delayed, and water is wet.

Shockgamer @ Dec 5th 2007 3:03PM

Let the game publisher cold-war begin.

Jeff @ Dec 5th 2007 3:39PM

I totally just watched that movie with Rifftrax yesterday. Chicken murder yes!

In other news, I'm spinning out, I can't control my car, it doesn't matter if you think you might be, you are, I misplaced it, I don't know where it's at, and I could find it, but I'd never get it back...

FrankTheCrank @ Dec 5th 2007 4:31PM

tee-he!

Layoff the pot brownies, man.

nutman @ Dec 5th 2007 5:06PM

Good for them. I want EA to succeed. Activision was just bought by Vivendi games. Yeah they call it a merger but we all know what it really is. From that yet another American company was lost. EA needs to stay around. If they ever get bought by a foreign company...Well that will be a sad day.