EA Employees Slam $55 Billion Buyout in Open Letter

In an open letter, EA employees have publicly criticized the company’s proposed $55 billion sale to an investor consortium, warning that the deal could have dire consequences for the people who make EA’s games. The letter comes as EA prepares to go private under the new ownership of Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, Silver Lake, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, pending regulatory approval.

“EA’s success has been entirely driven by tens of thousands of EA workers whose creativity, skill, and innovation made EA worth buying in the first place. Yet we, the very people who will be jeopardized as a result of this deal, were not represented at all when this buyout was negotiated or discussed,” the employees posted on the United Videogame Workers union website, referencing fears that EA will undergo mass layoffs as part of its plans to finance its new debt. “We 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.”

The letter also called on regulators and elected officials to heavily scrutinize the deal to ensure that jobs will be protected if it’s approved. At the same time, the CWA is also preparing to organize its members if and when ownership of the company changes hands, in an effort to protect EA’s employees. “As a unified voice, we, the members of the industry-wide video game workers’ union UVW-CWA, are standing together and refusing to let corporate greed decide the future of our industry,” the letter concluded.

Senators Richard Blumenthal and Elizabeth Warren have also taken note of the buyout, and they recently co-authored a letter to EA CEO Andrew Wilson and Department of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, listing their fears that Saudi Arabia’s ownership might pose a “national security” risk. Over the last couple of years, the PIF has made numerous investments–or outright purchases–in several video game companies as part of plans to diversify its economy, including stakes in Activision Blizzard, Take-Two, Embracer, and Nintendo.

The country also struck a 12-year pact with the International Olympic Committee to bring the Olympic Esports to Saudi Arabia, and WWE Wrestlemania 43 will also be hosted in the country in 2027. Critics have labeled these investments as “sportswashing” designed to cover up Saudi Arabia’s record of human rights violations on the international stage.