Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, equity firm Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner’s Affinity partners have completed their $55 billion acquisition of EA Sports FC, Battlefield, The Sims, Mass Effect and Dragon Age publisher EA. This comes following a filing from EA to the US Securities and Exchange Commission last week, and confirmation that the European Commission had no intention to stop the deal.
A quote from Kushner himself, who it should be noted is the son-in-law of the currently sitting president Donald Trump, in a press release regarding the acquisition reads, “EA has created stories, characters, and communities that have become part of everyday life for hundreds of millions of people. We’re excited to support the company as it continues to reach new audiences, inspire the next generation of creators, and expand the ways people around the world connect through play.”
The deal, which was announced last year, means that EA is now a private company, no longer dictated by the interests of its shareholders, but instead by the three aforementioned investment groups. When the deal was announced last year, it quickly caused concern for unionised workers at EA over potential layoffs, with a statement from the United Videogame Workers CWA saying at the time that “if jobs are lost or studios are closed due to this deal, that would be a choice, not a necessity, made to pad investors’ pockets,” and that they are “particularly worried about the future of our studios that are arbitrarily deemed ‘less profitable’ but whose contributions to the video game industry define EA’s reputation.”
There have also been concerns from LGBTQIA+ players, given that some of the most beloved games EA have published include the likes of The Sims, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age, all popular amongst various queer communities. A response from The Sims team was shared following the announcement of the sale in relation to some of these concerns. And during a talk at Develop last month, a developer on The Sims said of a hypothetical mandate to reduce the game’s diversity, “I haven’t heard anything coming down the pipe. I don’t think it’s gonna happen and I would fight it tooth and nail.”
Solidarity to workers affected by the acquisition.