In a strongly worded open letter, Electronic Arts (EA) employees have publicly condemned the company’s planned $55 billion acquisition by an investor group. They warn that this colossal deal could have devastating effects on the dedicated individuals responsible for creating EA’s games. This criticism emerges as EA moves towards privatization under the new ownership of Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, Silver Lake, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, pending official regulatory green light.
The employees, through a statement on the United Videogame Workers union website, asserted, ‘EA’s success is solely the result of the creativity, skill, and innovation of tens of thousands of EA workers who made the company valuable enough to acquire. Despite this, we, the very people whose livelihoods are at risk due to this deal, were completely excluded from the buyout negotiations.’ They expressed specific concerns about potential mass layoffs as EA seeks to finance its new debt, adding, ‘We are especially anxious about the fate of our studios that are arbitrarily labeled ‘less profitable’ even though their contributions are crucial to EA’s standing in the video game industry.’
The open letter urged regulators and elected officials to conduct a thorough examination of the deal, emphasizing the critical need to safeguard jobs should the acquisition be approved. Concurrently, the Communication Workers of America (CWA) is actively preparing to mobilize its members in anticipation of the ownership change, aiming to shield EA’s employees. The letter unequivocally stated, ‘As a united front, we, the members of the industry-wide video game workers’ union UVW-CWA, stand firm, refusing to allow corporate greed to dictate the trajectory of our industry.’
Adding to the scrutiny, Senators Richard Blumenthal and Elizabeth Warren have also raised concerns about the buyout. They recently penned a letter to EA CEO Andrew Wilson and Department of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, highlighting their worries that Saudi Arabian ownership could present a ‘national security’ risk. Over recent years, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been actively investing in, and in some cases completely acquiring, several video game companies as part of its economic diversification strategy. These include significant stakes in major players like Activision Blizzard, Take-Two, Embracer, and Nintendo.
Furthermore, Saudi Arabia has secured a 12-year agreement with the International Olympic Committee to host the Olympic Esports within its borders, with WWE Wrestlemania 43 also slated for the country in 2027. Critics broadly condemn these financial maneuvers as ‘sportswashing,’ a tactic aimed at diverting attention from Saudi Arabia’s well-documented human rights violations on the global stage.