Saudi Wealth Fund Weighs EA Merger With Savvy Games

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is considering merging Electronic Arts with its portfolio company Savvy Games Group to coordinate their gaming assets under a single global entertainment business. The proposed combination would bring EA franchises such as Madden NFL, EA Sports FC, Battlefield and The Sims alongside Savvy holdings including Monopoly Go!, Pokémon Go and other mobile titles. No final decision has been made, and deliberations are reportedly unlikely to advance until Savvy completes its planned $6 billion acquisition of Chinese developer Moonton. The merger could face regulatory and antitrust scrutiny because it would consolidate significant portions of the console, PC, mobile and sports-gaming markets. The discussions come as the industry confronts slower growth, cost-cutting and layoffs, while employees reportedly remain uncertain about the effect of EA’s takeover and any subsequent restructuring.