Electronic Arts purchases Glu Mobile in staggering $2.1 billion deal

That portfolio is getting mighty fat

Electronic Arts continues to open its seemingly bottomless wallet as its shopping spree continues across the industry. Having just put the final touches on its acquisition of Codemasters, EA has now purchased mobile game maker Glu Mobile Inc. in a deal worth an astounding $2.1 billion – one of the priciest acquisitions in the industry’s history.

Glu was founded in San Francisco in 2005, though it has expanded operations within Canada and India. In its 15-plus years of operation, Glu is responsible for the production of hundreds of licensed and original IP mobile titles. While Glu has handled major brands such as Call of Duty, DIRT, and Diner Dash, the majority of the companies’ releases focus on the part-time player, with a raft of titles based on TV shows such as Family Guy, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Ren & Stimpy; celebrities such as Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, and Kim Kardashian; and classic tabletop card and puzzle games.

“Our acquisition of Glu combines amazing teams and deeply-engaging products to create a mobile games leader with proven expertise across many fast-growing genres,” said EA CEO Andrew Wilson of the acquisition. “Mobile continues to grow as the biggest gaming platform in the world, and with the addition of Glu’s games and talent, we’re doubling the size of our mobile business.”

EA sees the products it produces being “complimentary” with Glu’s output, noting the opportunity to combine Glu’s experience with monetizing and marketing sports titles and other popular brands to the mobile mass-market with EA’s extensive portfolio of best-selling and established sports IPs. The deal is expected to be finalized in the second quarter of 2021.