Following the completion of EA’s acquisition by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Affinity Partners and Silver Lake, a former executive from the company believes that this might be bad news for the Mass Effect franchise. In an interview with PCGamer, Emmanuel Rosier – a former senior manager at EA – spoke about the potential of BioWare losing out on funding.
It largely comes down to the fact that EA is banking on its biggest IPs to bring in a lot of revenue. To that end, incredibly popular games like EA Sports FC will likely continue to be made.
“I think everything is open at this point. I suspect that sports will remain the key focus for EA, particularly European football, soccer, because of the importance of that sport in Saudi and in Middle East territories. You see a lot of synergies in that context. You can also expect that they will push even more for esports, also given the popularity of esports in Saudi and in some other territories. The question mark is probably the second-tier or third-tier IP in the portfolio of EA.”
As for other blockbuster releases that don’t tend to be quite as popular as the yearly Madden, Rossier isn’t as optimistic. Speaking about BioWare, Rossier said: “They’ve been struggling as a studio, as a brand, have been struggling in recent years, and I don’t know if they will keep funding that one. I think that’s the biggest question mark for me.” When further asked about what this could mean for the long-in-development new Mass Effect game, he said, “I will believe it when I see it, the next Mass Effect game, let’s put it that way.”
“I’ve worked many years with BioWare; sometimes it can stretch for years and years until something comes. I think everything can happen at this moment. They can pull the plug very, very easily. And if the new investor doesn’t have that many feelings about the history of the portfolio, they will take the most financially sound decision most probably.”
The acquisition of EA was part of a deal valued at around $55 billion, and has led to the company going completely private, its stock having been delisted from various exchanges. On the deal’s completion, CEO Andrew Wilson spoke about plans to “invest boldly” to make sure that the company continues to grow.
“This moment recognizes the extraordinary people whose creativity, ambition and passion have made EA one of the world’s leading interactive entertainment companies. We’re entering this next chapter from a position of strength with partners who share our vision and ambition. Together, we’ll invest boldly, accelerate innovation, and build the next generation of games and experiences for the hundreds of millions of players and fans who inspire us every day.”
The conclusion of the deal has led to the PIF taking on ownership of 93.4 percent of EA. Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, on the other hand, have taken on 5.5 percent and 1.1 percent ownership, respectively. EA has also taken on quite a bit of debt to fund the acquisition.
