Episode 138: Amazon and EA: Will They Do The Horizontal Mambo? (News Show)

A drama-filled Friday saw the huge news of a major acquisition… followed by a debunking and walkback that we’ll be talking about for some time. Also: Sony jacks the price of PS5, Chinese giants make investments in Quantic Dream and FromSoftware, and a discussion on how M&A is impacting smaller publishers. You can support Virtual Economy’s growth via our Ko-Fi and also purchase Virtual Economy merchandise! TIME STAMPS [00:01:16] - PS5 Price Increase [00:07:43] - Investment Interlude [00:29:43] - Quick Hits [00:40:37] - Labor Report (GameStop, Rogue Games) [00:44:30] - Amazon, EA, and the importance of care when reporting on business SOURCES PS5 price to increase in select markets due to global economic environment, including high inflation rates | Sony Warner Bros. gaming division is on a well-timed hot streak | Axios GameStop Increasing Store Staff Wages | Stephen Totilo (@StephenTotilo) on Twitter Rumor: Amazon set to buy Electronic Arts | USA Today CNBC Debunks Amazon / EA Acquisition Rumor | CNBC (@CNBCNow) on Twitter INVESTMENT INTERLUDE EMBRACER GROUP COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF CRYSTAL DYNAMICS, EIDOS-MONTRÉAL, SQUARE ENIX MONTRÉAL AMONGST OTHER ASSETS | Embracer Group Saudi Arabia voices "no objection" to Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition | GameDeveloper Welcoming Savage Game Studios + Expanding Our Community | PlayStation Blog Notice Concerning Consolidated Subsidiary’s Capital Increase through Third-party Allotment of Shares | Kadokawa NetEase Acquires Leading French Game Developer & Publisher Quantic Dream | PR Newswire Bandai Namco: M&As are "affecting some of the smaller publishers in their capacity to access the best studios” | GamesIndustry