EA Was Reportedly In The Mix For Activision Blizzard Deal

Microsoft recently announced that it has proposed to buy Activision Blizzard in a deal valued at nearly $70 billion, but it seems that several other companies, including EA, were interested in a deal with the Call Of Duty publisher as well.

In a new Venture Beat interview with Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, it was discussed why the publisher decided to agree on a deal with the Xbox company, with Kotick saying that he was looking over the course of the next couple of years and decided that Activision Blizzard would, "need thousands of people to be able to execute against our production plans." He also explained that he had conversations with Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, and Phil Spencer, head of gaming at Microsoft, "over many, many years of bigger things that we could do together."

During the interview, it was also hinted that EA was in talks for some sort of deal with Activision Blizzard. Kotick went on to say that although the company is big and has its resources, compared to other trillion dollar companies, "You realize, we may have been a big company in video gaming, but now, when you look at the landscape of who the competitors are, it’s a different world today than ever before.

"But I think that even if we were to have consolidated within EA, that wouldn’t have given us what we’re going to need going forward," Kotick added. "And so you needed to have a big partner in order to be able to make it work." Although Kotick acknowledged a possible merger with EA, he didn't divulge any further details about whether an official deal was on the table.

In a recent investor call with Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, Kotick spoke on other potential partners that were in the mix, though he didn't name any outright. "As we thought about possible partners, all roads ultimately led to Microsoft," he said. "Microsoft has all the important technologies we need to deliver the next generation of games. And like Activision, Microsoft has a cultural passion for gaming that goes back to the 1980s. Microsoft’s culture of inspiring people through caring and empathy is a powerful motivator, and one we embrace as we renew our resolve in the work we’re now doing to set a new standard for a welcoming and inclusive workplace culture.”

Following the proposed acqusition of Activision Blizzard, there were discussions about whether Kotick would stay on as CEO after the deal is closed, with the official word saying he will. However, management at Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have reportedly agreed that Kotick will leave when the deal is completed.

Elsewhere, due to the ongoing, controversial Activision Blizzard headlines, it was claimed that Bobby Kotick wanted to buy gaming publications to sway the public narrative.