So Kantor - I've noticed you have a huge amount of EA games. Is the fact that they are from a pathetic attempt at a developer making it hard for you to unload them onto someone.

Oh well, I'll take
All your LOTR games
All your battlefield games
Need For Speed
Sims
James Bond.
Fifa

Just a quick scan of your game collection turned up about a dozen games from those franchises. Is it perhaps your dislike of Apple that made you post that, not your dislike of EA?

Now really, Apple buying EA just would not make any sense.

First of all, EA has never had anything to do with apple, either as opponents or as business partners. They also have very little in common when it comes to strategy, image and values. In short, I cannot see how there would be any synergy effects that would make up for paying all that money.

If they want EA support for a platform of their own, it would be smarter in all ways to just pay EA to give them that support.

You can take Lord of the Rings and Need for Speed.

The rest were from a time where EA was actually a quality developer. Like Ubisoft.

And actually, I dislike Apple even more than I dislike EA. I'm not saying everything they make is crap, just the majority of it. Dead Space and Burnout were great games, but Need for Speed, Mirror's Edge, Mercenaries 2, Conquest...

well wouldn't aquiring EA be a good investment?

not only can they make money, but they can also:

1. increase their company portfolio
2. create better games for the iphone and itouch
3. make exclusive mobile games
4. gain better experience and insight into the big league gaming industry
5. maybe improve gaming for macs
6. increase brand awareness
7. get paid by rivals (ms&sony).

im sure there are more reasons but my bladder is about to burst :s

They may just be trying to bring more games to OS X to compete with the Windows gaming scene.

Doing more things in a single company isn't always better. A larger corporate structure requires more communication to maintain. If the managers of the two companies have different ideas about how to run a business, you'll get infighting.

Generally it's just better to buy the milk rather than the cow. After all, do you really want to spend all of your time taking care of a damn cow when you've got other things you'd rather be doing?

@non sequor

this is where you hire a good director to do the job. this is how many conglomerates and mnc do business. you dont spread youself thin, you delegate.

apple can aquire ea, leave the company as it is with the addition of an apple department added for apple games development.

nothing is complex until you make it so. a good company structure with good delegation is all it takes. thats the difference between good and great companies.

Lack of games on MacOS is the primary reason I use Windows. I think a lot of people feel the same way. Anything the Apple can do to make the Mac a more viable gaming platform, is a good thing in my eyes.

But, I do not see how this rumor could be true. The value in EA is in multiplatform games. Unless they plan on continuing to support the PC, the 4 current consoles, the DS/PSP, as well as the Mac/IPhone, this purchase does not make sense.

If Apple is getting serious about games, it would be better off for Apple to buy a smaller developers that is not also one of the largest multi-platform game publishers. It would be much better for them to partner with EA/Activision to make sure that the Mac/IPhone are supported as much as the PC and other gaming platforms.

You run past the most important point here. Can they make money off a decision like that?

With that in mind, let's take a quick look at your numbered list:

1. Will EA portion of that portfolio make more money after being taken over?
2. Will EA games for iPhone/iTouch (iP/iT) sell better than their current counterparts?
3. Will exclusive EA games raise the value of iP/iT?
4. Does Apple really want to get into the software industry?
5. Is buying EA money better spent than moneyhatting?
6. How on earth would a merger increase brand awareness?
7. You'll have to explain this one to me as well.

The real question is, where would EA benefit from this arrangement? Because if EA doesn't make as much money as before, then Apple has paid for future profits they'll never recieve. And Apple would have to get some serious profits from this arrangements to compensate for that.

Nuts. “Adami” is the notorious Fast Money man Guy Adami, whose reputation on predictions is… sketchy, at best. Though we have to note, this isn’t a prediction, it’s just “chatter”.

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2009/05/apple-eyeing-electronic-arts-takeover/

This person seems to be the only current source.

EA loses a lot of things if its games don't stay multi-platform. For example, it is required in the NFL license.

This sounds like one of those wild hairs that someone has thrown out there. But until Steven Jobs says it for Apple (assuming he is still alive), it ain't gonna happen.

Mike from Morgantown