Final yr, FIFA and Battlefield writer Digital Arts (EA) sought to reassure employees that its recently-completed buyout by the hands of an investor consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign Public Funding Fund (PIF) and involving Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner wouldn’t materially change the tradition on the firm.
These assurances have been provided round two years after Saudi Arabia crown prince and PIF chairman Mohammed bin Salman instructed Fox News he had no qualms with the notion that his funding fund was getting used to additional the geopolitical ambitions of the Gulf kingdom. When pressed on whether or not PIF had funnelled money in excessive profile sports activities comparable to golf (via the launch of the LIV Golf) and soccer (via the takeover of Premier League club Newcastle United) with that objective in thoughts, bin Salman supplied a candid response.
“If sportswashing goes to extend my GDP by 1 %, then we’ll proceed doing sportswashing,” he stated “I do not care [about the term]. I’ve 1 % development in GDP from sport and I’m aiming for an additional 1.5 %.”
Since then, PIF has scaled down its golf investments however stays accountable for Newcastle United. The Saudi state has additionally expanded into the online game trade in historic vogue, taking EA non-public in a deal price $55 billion whereas utilizing PIF and different funding automobiles comparable to MISK and Savvy Video games Group to buy stakes in (or receive full possession of) main sport corporations together with SNK, Scopely, Capcom, and Take-Two Interactive.
Maybe, then, we have to ask a unique query. Have we entered an period of pixelwashing that may see Saudi leaders try and leverage the artform to push their political agenda and distract from the widespread allegations of human rights abuses and oppression, together with bin Salman’s personal purported involvement within the homicide of Washington Publish journalist Jamal Khashoggi?
EA has already stated “no,” however some staff aren’t satisfied.
“Tasks simply will not get signed as a result of they do not align explicitly with what the Saudi authorities needs”
Plenty of present EA employees based mostly in america and Canada, who requested to stay nameless for concern of reprisal, stated they’re deeply involved that Saudi Arabia views the U.S. writer as a way to launder its tradition by way of western media. “Between Soccer Membership, Madden, and Battlefield, the studio has an enormous world attain. We have been assured on the town corridor conferences that this buy will not negatively influence our firm tradition, however that is working beneath the belief that EA’s tradition is morally good and well-intentioned within the first place,” stated one supply.
One other particular person described the buyout as a method for Saudi Arabia to distract from its “regressive” human rights report by “co-opting a longtime and relatively progressive firm tradition.”
Everybody we spoke with stated EA management is adamant the deal won’t have an effect on how the corporate operates creatively, however some staff are struggling to seek out the reality in these phrases. One supply stated many employees have been left in a “state of cynicism” after the deal accomplished—even inside a few of the writer’s extra steady studios, comparable to The Sims developer Maxis.
Publicly, Maxis has said that its dedication to values comparable to “inclusivity, selection, creativity, neighborhood, and play” has not wavered and can persist by way of 2026 and past. That statement was published January this year, after the deal was introduced.
Even so, the assumption amongst some employees is that layoffs at the moment are inevitable and that sure initiatives could also be torched or neglected to appease the corporate’s new Saudi overseers. There isn’t any expectation that EA management can be clear about why any of these choices are being made, particularly now they don’t seem to be obligated to clarify themselves to shareholders.
“The [crown] prince shouldn’t be going to get on to a city corridor and say ‘we’re not doing this stuff’ however as an alternative initiatives simply will not get signed as a result of they do not align explicitly with what the Saudi authorities needs or implicitly as a result of [EA will think] ‘oh, we’ll try to cater this stuff [to our owners] as a result of if we pitch one thing else the federal government might not like or approve of it,'” stated one supply, who claimed the very best case state of affairs is that EA is just left to its personal units.
But, even in that context, these we spoke to defined it’s nonetheless exhausting to abdomen being owned by a regime accused of oppressing its personal individuals, often with lethal force.
“It is definitely exhausting to be ok with being purchased out by a regime that is very a lot at odds with progressive society, so it’s certainly detrimental to anybody who finds this buyout morally odious. It is not a superb feeling,” one supply defined.
One other particular person stated they “really feel soiled” realizing they now work beneath possession that views their queer family and friends as “inhuman.”
“If EA had a tradition that had any semblance of an ethical spine, it wouldn’t get into mattress with a prince who’s disgusted by a lot of its present staff’ sexualities and ethnicities,” they added. “Then you may have Jared Kushner on this disgusting enterprise stew, which simply provides insult to damage. I really feel gross simply interested by it, however there’s nowhere else to go. I’d love to go away, however the jobs aren’t there, and I’ve payments to pay.”
An ever-expanding chasm between executives and employees
Given the potential shockwaves ensuing from the buyout, you may think EA would have made addressing worker considerations a high precedence. Not least, as a result of, it’s going to want those self same employees to proceed making video video games to fulfill the calls for of its new homeowners and fulfill its monetary obligations (extra on that shortly). That hasn’t been the case, in response to those that spoke out. One supply stated administration has provided “temporary” Q&A periods throughout inner city halls in a bid to settle fears, however claimed their responses to questions have been largely unsatisfactory.
“There have been lots of considerations about what occurs post-buyout, and responses are principally simply imprecise reassurances. It hasn’t carried out sufficient to quell lots of the fears over job safety or inventive influences with Saudi homeowners. To mangle a metaphor, very similar to inner comms from execs, what they inform us about ‘our future’ is similar phrase salad simply with totally different dressing. It is the looks of giving a solution with out really answering,” stated one particular person.
A number of sources instructed us that, throughout a city corridor assembly within the fall of 2025 (shortly after the take-private was tabled), many staff started asking questions on how the deal would possibly influence EA’s inner tradition and job safety. As soon as that assembly ended, two sources stated the administrators of EA’s life-style pillar forgot their microphones have been nonetheless scorching—that means that when one muttered “little infants” on the finish of the decision, it was heard by everyone.
Though our sources held totally different opinions as as to whether that comment was a potshot at involved employees or just an offhand remark that has maybe been misinterpreted, it is evident there’s a clear divide between the chief class and rank-and-file staffers at EA. Two sources additionally recalled how, throughout one other city corridor, one exec made a quip about needing to buy one other horse for his or her youngster as a result of it’s at present the yr of the horse (in response to the Chinese language lunar calendar). One particular person felt the remark was made in jest, however stated it nonetheless underlined the large divide between the lives of executives and their staff.
“A few of us have hassle making ends meet. A few of us misplaced our jobs with no prospect of discovering a brand new one. I wager most of us do not even have one pony,” one particular person stated. Commenting on that incident, specifically, one other supply stated the very fact an government felt comfy making that joke reveals “these persons are so out of contact with the truth of the widespread worker. It hurts the mind.”
Though those that spoke out have been united of their disdain for the deal, they defined staff who personal vested shares in EA stand to earn a reasonably penny on account of the buyout. That, stated one supply, is probably easing (or distracting from) some instant considerations. “The inventory value has been locked at a reasonably juicy peak, and everybody who has vested shares [is] a windfall of money. That is nice for these individuals, however many staff are ‘Non permanent Fulltime,’ and these staff by no means obtained any inventory. So whereas it’s improbable many are getting an enormous payout, it isn’t for everybody,” they defined.
“And on high of that, the long run bonus construction remains to be very murky. So nobody is celebrating this, however they’re asking ‘how a lot do I get?’ and I can’t blame them. At this level, all you are able to do is get that bag right now, since you’ll seemingly be unemployed tomorrow.”
One other particular person stated EA has been “dangling that inventory value payout” over staff to persuade them the deal is of their greatest pursuits, however whereas some would possibly obtain a money windfall, the very fact the deal has accomplished as such a excessive valuation—off the again of a $20 billion debt financing package deal from JP Morgan Chase—has many satisfied layoffs and presumably even divestments at the moment are inevitable.
EA has refuted that notion. In an employee FAQ published in October 2025, the corporate stated it’s in “a robust monetary place” and claimed taking over debt won’t influence its capacity to take a position and develop. “By robust money era, we’ll proceed pursuing natural and inorganic development alternatives as a personal firm, even with the brand new debt,” it wrote. “The Consortium additionally expects to spend money on our enterprise, enabling us to speed up innovation and unlock new development alternatives.”
“It is exhausting to see how groups or video games that underperform would not be dissolved or offered off”
EA additionally pressured there can be no “instant” layoffs on account of the buyout. Once more, that place was communicated within the FAQ shared final yr, but it surely stays to be seen how far the writer is prepared to stretch the definition of that reasonably precarious adjective. Our sources expect to seek out out sooner reasonably than later.
“Everyone simply assumes they’re beneath the specter of layoffs always—given how issues have been throughout the trade at giant but in addition internally at EA. There may be additionally some quantity of cynicism in that we anticipate they will not be enacted as mass layoffs anymore however reasonably as waves of small layoffs in an effort to bypass WARN notices,” stated one particular person.
Below the U.S. federal Employee Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, employers within the nation should present superior—publicly out there—written discover earlier than making job cuts that contain a sure quantity or proportion of employees. The concern now, as famous above, is that EA will topic some groups to demise by a thousand cuts in an effort to keep away from public disclosures. Everybody who spoke out is anxious that layoffs are a forgone conclusion inside a debt-laden EA. They really feel it’s only a matter of who can be allowed to maintain their jobs, which franchises can be deemed important, and which studios would possibly safe a tenuous lifeline within the type of a divestment.
“It is exhausting to see how groups or video games that underperform would not be dissolved or offered off,” stated one particular person. “The historical past of leveraged buyouts reveals that that is the playbook, it doesn’t matter what our executives insist can be totally different. I’ve no inner secret info—we do not want any to see how this factor performs out—however the one unknown (and concern) is how quickly and the way deep issues must get reduce to repay this debt. Any yr that EA’s money move goes down, reasonably than up, can be dangerous for workers.”
The temper is downbeat, however one supply claimed there was a interval when management inside EA appeared to care about staff. These halcyon days at the moment are consigned to reminiscence, it appears. “For what it is price, there was a time the place execs engaged extra and supplied extra earnest solutions in regards to the firm, and it genuinely felt like they cared about us,” they defined. “It was years in the past although. Now it is principally simply drained company bullshit.”
EA declined to remark when approached by Sport Developer.