EA cherche un acquéreur

Electronic Arts is quietly looking for a buyer, the New York Post revealed.

According to the newspaper, the giant publisher has already entered negotiations with two private equity companies – KKR, and Providence Equity Partners, a major shareholder in Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax.

Negotiations only started recently and are still way too far from ending, but EA has already “made it known they’d do a deal at $20 a share.”

EA stock has lost 37% of its value in 2012 and it is currently priced at $13.09. This decline was fueled by the rise of mobile and social gaming in addition to the protracted current gen console cycle. It is expected that EA’s stock would bounce back in 18 months when the next console generation launches.