PlayPower Abandons Acquisition of Playground Competitor BCI Burke After FTC Lawsuit
PlayPower and its owner, private equity firm Platinum Equity, have called off their planned purchase of rival playground maker BCI Burke. The Federal Trade Commission announced the decision on October 27, 2026, after filing a lawsuit alongside twelve states the previous week to stop the buyout. According to the FTC, the two firms compete in commercial outdoor playground equipment, where the five largest companies control between 85% and 90% of the market. Buying Burke would have given PlayPower control of more than 30% of sales and reduced the number of major manufacturers from five to four. This matters to local communities because schools, parks departments, churches, and daycares buy this gear. State and municipal governments spend hundreds of millions of dollars on commercial playgrounds every year. The agency said preserving direct competition between PlayPower and Burke helps keep prices lower for local taxpayers while protecting product quality and equipment innovation for families.
What was announced
Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Competition Director Daniel Guarnera issued a statement confirming that Platinum Equity and its portfolio company, PlayPower, dropped their proposed acquisition of rival manufacturer BCI Burke.
The decision came after the FTC and a dozen states filed a joint lawsuit to halt the merger. PlayPower has carried out a series of corporate acquisitions, according to the agency. The FTC stated that the top five manufacturers in the commercial outdoor playground market currently control 85% to 90% of industry sales. If the deal had closed, the number of major competitors would have fallen from five to four, and PlayPower would have held more than 30% of the market.
What it means
The cancelled deal leaves PlayPower and Burke operating as independent competitors.
Playground equipment is a substantial public expense. State and municipal governments spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year on equipment for parks departments and public schools. Private groups, including daycares and churches, also purchase these structures.
The FTC argued that smaller competitors could not easily take Burke's place. The remaining fringe of small makers often lacks factory capacity, sales representatives, safety certifications, product portfolios, and distribution networks. By preventing the combination, the agency expects continued head-to-head competition to hold down costs for public taxpayers, maintain customer service, and encourage new product designs for children and families.
What the announcement does not tell us
The agency release leaves out several specific details:
- The purchase price and overall financial terms of the proposed deal were not disclosed.
- The statement does not identify which 12 states joined the federal lawsuit.
- The release does not state whether PlayPower or Platinum Equity owes a termination fee for walking away from the agreement.
- The announcement does not name the other three manufacturers that make up the top five in the market.
How this was written
This analysis was written with AI from the official announcement below, using only facts that announcement states. The quoted wording is US FTC Press Releases’s own. Always check the original before acting on anything here.
Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Competition Director Daniel Guarnera issued the following statement in response to the announcement that Platinum Equity and its portfolio company, PlayPower, abandoned the proposed acquisition of BCI Burke following a View Press Release
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