Netflix thinking about buying Electronic Arts sounds unreal, but the reports show it was genuinely on the table.
Before moving ahead with the huge Warner Bros. deal, Netflix’s leaders debated whether picking up a publisher like EA could speed up its shift beyond streaming.
The talks never turned into anything solid, but the fact they happened in the first place shows how far Netflix was willing to go behind closed doors.
What Made Netflix Look at EA as a Possible Acquisition?
Before Netflix shocked the industry with its $82.7 billion move to acquire Warner Bros., the company actually went through a long internal phase of asking itself how far it wanted to expand.
According to Bloomberg’s reporting, Netflix’s leadership briefly explored the idea of buying nearly every major entertainment asset that came onto the market.
Electronic Arts ended up being one of the most serious names on that list. Inside Netflix, the debate sounded almost surreal.
Executives looked at companies as different as EA, Fox, and even Disney, trying to figure out whether a massive acquisition could help Netflix accelerate its long-term goals.
The talks progressed because the entertainment sector was transforming fast, with huge mergers taking shape, streaming competition heating up, and gaming becoming a worldwide business on par with film and television.
In that environment, EA appeared to be a tempting target. It was still independent, it controlled major global franchises, and it had already begun attracting interest from enormous investors, including a Saudi-funded plan to take the company private for around $55 billion.
What Stopped Netflix From Actually Buying EA?
But “considering” a deal and being ready to follow through are two very different things.
Inside Netflix, these discussions never reached a point where everyone agreed on a path forward.
Some leaders warned that paying the kind of premium a company like EA would demand might rattle shareholders.
Others raised concerns about whether Netflix should even chase giant corporate mergers at all — especially given that its co-founder Reed Hastings historically preferred to build technology and teams gradually instead of absorbing massive companies.
There were real worries that striking the wrong deal could hurt Netflix’s stock, damage investor confidence, or saddle the company with assets that didn’t fully complement its core business.
EA was tricky to consider since it operates purely as a gaming studio. Everything it does (sports simulations, shooters, live-service titles) requires enormous development cycles, unpredictable performance, and no guaranteed return.
If Netflix bought EA, the company would instantly become responsible for some of the most expensive and volatile projects in entertainment.
For a streaming service still shaping its own gaming identity, that level of risk may have looked excessive.
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