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EA 'actively' looking for further acquisitions post PopCap, Chillingo and Firemint

Giant looking to 'marry' studios

EA 'actively' looking for further acquisitions post PopCap, Chillingo and Firemint
Raising the prospect of further expansion in the mobile arena, EA has claimed it is actively on the look out for games companies to to acquire in the coming months and years.

EA's corporate development group associate Carolyn Rohde made the admission in an interview with the publisher's own news site, claiming the firm is constantly scanning the market for potential targets.

Playing the field

"If we're interested in moving into a particular genre of gaming, or bolstering our presence in a certain area, then we'll look at the market landscape to see who's performing the best and who, of those companies, is a good strategic and financial fit for EA," said Rohde.

"Then we determine whether an acquisition makes sense."

The comments come after EA has made some notable moves in the mobile and social markets in recent years, having acquired the likes of Playfish, Chillingo, Firemint and most recently PopCap.

Nevertheless, despite the firm's willingness to make further moves in the future, the suitability of the target with EA's own practices is always the decicing factor, claimed Rohde.

"Sometimes we hear from a banker that a particular company is for sale and we evaluate if we want to own the company or not," she concluded.

"It's sort of like dating – we 'date' a lot of companies, but it has to be a fit both ways for us to 'marry' and integrate."

[source: EA]

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