In a recent podcast appearance, former EA chief creative officer Bing Gordon disclosed that EA had opportunities to acquire several major gaming franchises, including Blizzard, Call of Duty, and Guitar Hero but ultimately passed them up. Gordon discussed this during a conversation with former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, who later capitalized on these franchises.

Key Points

• Gordon mentioned a missed chance to purchase Blizzard outright when the parent company Vivendi offered it for $800 million. Larry Probst, former CEO of EA, did not engage with their offers.
• Gordon emphasized, “EA saw all those first and passed on all of them.” He praised Kotick’s vision for acquiring profitable game studios, which ultimately led to Activision’s success.
• Kotick noted that EA had sought to purchase or merge with Activision multiple times over the years.

Conclusion

EA’s past strategies stand in stark contrast to Activision’s more aggressive acquisition pace. While Activision has thrived, EA has struggled to regain its prior stature in the gaming industry.