Disney CEO reportedly being pushed to acquire a major game publisher like EA

Disney CEO Bob Iger's deputies are said to be urging the boss to acquire a major gaming publisher such as Electronic Arts in order to transform the company into a gaming giant.

The details:

• According to a new Bloomberg report on the company's current state, executives at Disney are advising Iger to make a major move into the gaming industry by acquiring a publisher to take it from being a "gaming licensee to gaming giant." Despite pressure from the leadership team, the CEO is said to be "noncommittal" about acquiring EA or any other publisher at this time.
• Since the beginning of his first term as CEO in 2005, Iger, who is currently in his second term, has overseen the acquisitions of Marvel, Pixar, 21st Century Fox, and Lucasfilm. EA has had multiple partnerships with Disney's subsidiaries over the years, first with the Star Wars IP to produce a number of titles such as Battlefront and Star Wars: Jedi, and is now working on Black Panther and Iron Man games.
• Although the Disney CEO may not be completely on board with the idea of a future acquisition, it was reported last year that EA was pursuing a potential merger or sale with "a number of different potential suitors" including Amazon, Comcast-NBCUniversal, Apple, and even Disney itself. In response to the reports, CEO Andrew Wilson stated that the company is in an "incredible position," but did not explicitly deny the claims.

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• Unity CEO John Riccitiello is stepping down from all of his positions within the company with immediate effect. The former EA boss took over the role of CEO within the company in 2014 after joining its board of directors the year prior.