U.S. rivals Electronic Arts Inc., Roblox Corp., France’s Ubisoft Entertainment SA and Poland’s CD Projekt SA surged -- some of them are being talked-up as potential acquisition targets. The recent selloff in their shares and rising interest in gaming and the metaverse from megacaps such as Meta Platforms Inc. has raised expectations for more deals in the space.
“If Microsoft can get them over the line without any antitrust issues, the rest are all in play,” said Neil Campling, a tech analyst at Mirabaud Securities. “Electronic Arts would then be the most obvious takeout target.” Ubisoft is seen as the other potential target, but could be hurt by the family holding structure, according to Campling.