EA is about to go private as part of a $55 billion deal, and while fans are certainly concerned about what this means for their favorite franchises – just ask the BioWare hopefuls still awaiting Mass Effect 5 – the much more pressing issue is what this means for the company's employees. A handful have spoken up since the news broke, and the vibes out there aren't looking great.
The EA buyout is led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, private equity firm Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner's investment firm Affinity Partners. They're fronting about two-thirds of the purchase price, with $20 billion of the leveraged buyout being absorbed as debt on EA's books. We don't know what EA will look like once the deal closes – which is expected to happen in Q1 of the company's 2027 financial year – but some key fears have arisen about what might happen.
One fear is that the company will do some extreme cost-cutting in an effort to pay down that debt, resulting in layoffs and even more aggressive monetization schemes in its games. The other chief concern is that the conservative elements of the investment group will push back against the diversity that's been core to games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and The Sims over the years.
"[EA CEO] Andrew Wilson basically said 'f you' to all women and LGTBQ employees at EA with this deal," as one anonymous employee tells Game File. They added that "it just shows how many people have been collateral this past year for executives to make out rich. Nothing feels great. And we know, when the deal closes, it’s going to get worse before it gets better, if better is even possible."
"I’m nervous about what this means in terms of workforce once the deal is closed, as layoffs usually follow those type of acquisitions," according to another anonymous employee cited by Game File. "And on a personal level, those future owners are really not in line with my values and beliefs."
At least one ex-EA employee hasn't been afraid of airing their concerns publicly. When reports started to emerge about the buyout, former Mass Effect and Dragon Age narrative designer Trick Weekes was posting grim jokes on social media about EA shutting down studios with "gay stuff" at the behest of the new owners.
Buyers: So your games... guns and football, yes?EA: Mmhmm, mmhmm, mostly guns and football, yep.Buyers: No gay stuff? No politics we're not going to like?EA: Haha, definitely not! Hey, could you give me one sec? I just need to shut down a studio real quick.kotaku.com/report-saudi...
— @trickweekes.bsky.social (@trickweekes.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-10-01T00:50:45.095Z
Andrew Wilson insists that the company's values "remain unchanged" in the wake of the buyout, but it's 2025 and a businessman's word is worth less than a pack of Ultimate Team cards. The new buyers are reportedly hopeful that AI can be used to cut operating costs and boost profits, adding another layer of concern to the whole endeavor. Maybe EA's future will be bright – it's impossible to yet say for sure – but it sure isn't looking sunny from where we're standing today.
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