Unconfirmed: EA Looking for Buyers

Electronic Arts, gaming titan of over twenty years, is rumored by the New York Post to be in quiet, backroom talks regarding the future of the company – specifically, they may be looking for buyers. As the parent company of BioWare (and its many divisions), anything affecting EA will no doubt trickle down to the triple-A RPG studio.

EA’s largest rival, Activision Blizzard, also explored a sale earlier this year. Although it didn’t result in a deal, Activision parent Vivendi shopped its 61 percent stake in the videogame giant, which was worth around $8 billion.

Like its rivals, 30-year-old EA has been challenged by the changes roiling the traditional gaming business. Sales of hardware consoles and software have slumped along with the rise in popularity of mobile and casual games that users can play for free online. Consumers are also buying fewer $60 games.

US sales of new videogames, consoles and accessories fell 20 percent in July, capping a string of declines that have plagued the industry since November.

Though the sources cited in the article are anonymous, it’s no surprise that EA are looking for a change-up after Star Wars: The Old Republic‘s multi-million-dollar failure, 38 Studios’ bankruptcy, and their inability to compete with some of the other big non-RPG titles like Activision’s yearly Call of Duty releases. Does the prospect of new ownership spell good things for the future, or will we see EA take off in a radically different path?