EA’s $55bn sale can open up New Game Plus for gaming and advertisers

Opinion

EA’s sale to an investor consortium last month could open up new opportunities for brand partnerships, product placements and in-game activations.

Last month, Electronic Arts (EA) made history by agreeing to a massive $55bn (£41bn) sale, including its catalogue of game titles such as The Sims, EA Sports FC and Apex Legends.

For a games industry already in massive flux, this is huge. We’re already seeing new audiences, technologies, and business models transforming how games are played and consumed. And this deal reinforces the feeling that gaming is entering a new chapter.

For advertisers and brands, it could indicate a shift in how games are monetised and marketed. But it also raises important questions around ownership.

So, how should advertisers and brands navigate this next level in games?

Scale, scrutiny, and complexity

There’s a massive level of investment now flowing into gaming, reflected by the sheer size of this deal. And any deal this size should rightfully attract scrutiny. Advertisers must recognise this before they start looking at the opportunities.

At a financial level, the acquisition highlights the commercial robustness of video games as a global entertainment category.

While growth in media sectors like subscription streaming has plateaued (in many established markets), gaming continues to attract long-term investment thanks in part to its recurring revenue models, digital distribution, and global scale – qualities that make it increasingly attractive to advertisers and brand partners.

However, the deal will also saddle EA with an estimated $20 billion in debt, which may force an even sharper focus on proven revenue streams.

That could mean doubling down on its live-service titles and strengthening commercial integration across its flagship sports franchises.

For advertisers, this may translate into new opportunities for brand partnerships, product placements and in-game activations built around high-engagement environments.

As with any major acquisition, consolidation often brings operational efficiencies but also the risk of creative slowdown. We’ll need to keep an eye on how EA balances financial discipline with continued innovation in how players experience and engage with its IP.

Ads and monetisation – it’s in the game

For advertisers, the real shift is how EA will look to drive value with new owners.

Over the years the video games industry has embraced microtransactions, cosmetic upgrades, downloadable content and live-service updates. These are now central to games like GTA Online and Apex Legends, and we’re going to continue to see more of that.

But the challenge is balance and building value without eroding trust. Push these elements too hard, and players will abandon it for a different game. The competition has never been stronger.

One impact from EA’s new ownership could be on monetisation strategies. We’ll see a greater focus on in-game economies, more refined ad integrations and fresh experiments with subscription services.

For brands, this is a huge chance to move beyond product placement and actually embed themselves naturally into player experiences. It could be esports partnerships, limited-time content drops, or dynamic activations inside virtual worlds.

Appropriately handled with respect to its audiences, EA’s sale could enable new ways for advertisers to reach younger, harder-to-reach audiences who increasingly spend their time in game worlds like Fortnite and Roblox. And this can benefit everyone – from brands to the gamers themselves.

Loading up a fresh chapter

Step back, and this moment feels like the music industry’s upheaval in the 2000s. We went from the ‘Big Six’ major labels to the ‘Big Three’. But gradually, it opened up opportunities for smaller, more nimble independent labels and self-publishing artists to fill the gaps left behind. Gaming is already on a similar path.

Of course, large-scale acquisitions inevitably lead to restructuring. But the talent burning bright at the heart of games won’t disappear. Many will create or join new studios, bringing established expertise, innovation and fresh creative ambition with them. A serious contender for Game of the Year is indie-made game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

And self-publishing and digital distribution mean these new, smaller outfits can take risks that larger publishers can’t or simply won’t. Who would have thought the market was crying out for a ‘poker-themed roguelike deck-building game’ last year? More variety provides more opportunities for brands to partner with new voices in gaming.

Video games are a valuable, contested and strategically important industry. Advertisers and brands should play a big part in its future by supporting its creative talent, whose output will create more opportunities for creative activations with both major and independent publishers.

So no, the game’s not over. It’s an opportunity to go again in New Game Plus.

Greg Weller is head of gaming partnerships at Generation Media