Near the end of September, EA disclosed a $55 billion deal to take the third-party video game publisher private under a new ownership group including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, and the private equity firm Silver Lake. It’s also the largest leveraged buyout (LBO) of all time, and it will require EA to settle $20 billion in debt. According to several prominent analysts, the fastest way for EA to reach that number is by shedding studios and selling some of them off.
According to a report by Polygon, multiple analysts believe that BioWare is a prime candidate to be sold because of the studio’s struggles over the last decade. BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell far below EA’s expectations, and the studio was hit by numerous layoffs in the aftermath. A much smaller team at the studio is currently working on the next Mass Effect title, which may entice potential buyers.
EA is currently throwing its promotional muscle behind Battlefield 6, the first-person shooter that’s competing with Activision’s Call of Duty franchise. While that may mean DICE–the developer of the game’s multiplayer mode–is safe from being sold at the moment, analysts suggest that could change if Battlefield 6 under-performs.
