EA, the publisher behind games like Battlefield 6 and The Sims 4, is on many a player's mind right now following the $55 billion deal that's seeing the company go private – apparently, it's also on US senators' own, too.
As a new letter to US treasury secretary Scott Bessent proves just that, as senators Richard Blumenthal and Elizabeth Warren are worried about the deal – one which sees Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners acquiring EA. "We write with profound concern about the foreign influence and national security risks posed by the potential acquisition of American video game producer Electronic Arts," it reads.
The letter continues, with the two senators first expressing their concerns about Saudi Arabia's involvement in the deal. "The proposed transaction poses a number of significant foreign influence and national security risks, beginning with the PIF’s reputation as a strategic arm of the Saudi government," they outline, continuing with examples of how "the PIF has made dozens of strategic investments in sports" and "video games," using examples like "a $3.3 billion investment in Activision Blizzard."
According to the senators, these deals aren't just about money or "financial returns" – they're "about influence." They say the proposed $55 billion also "represents a significant and largely unjustified premium over EA's actual value: 'Saudi Arabia's desire to buy influence through the acquisition of EA is apparent on the face of the transaction – the investors propose to pay more than $10 billion above EA's trading value for a company whose stock has 'stagnated for half a decade' in an unpredictably volatile industry."
Saudi Arabia's PIF isn't the only worrying factor in the deal, however. The senators also look to Jared Kushner, who they note is a "Trump family member" whose firm "previously received a $2 billion investment from the PIF over the objections of the PIF's own investment screening board." This, as the government officials write, "raises troubling questions about whether Mr. Kushner is involved in the transaction solely to ensure the federal government’s approval of the transaction."
They add that it's all "consistent with the Trump administration's unprecedented corruption and monetization of federal government power, 'What regulator is going to say no to the president's son-in-law?'" The senators then circle back to Saudi Arabia's role, stating its "foreign influence" in the US could be worsened by its government's newfound access to EA's consumers – of which there are millions.
"The deal's potential to expand and strengthen Saudi foreign influence in the United States is compounded by the national security risks raised by the Saudi government's access to and unchecked influence over the sensitive personal information collected from EA's millions of users, its development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, and the company's product design and direction," reads the letter.
"Modern video games," it continues, "like social media platforms, 'have the potential to harvest vast amounts of users' personal and behavioral data' through a number of interactive and communications features." With "at least 700 million that spent over 13 billion hours playing its games in 2024 alone," the senators explain EA "has 'insight into its consumers, their relationships, and their daily lives," allowing it to "influence its consumers' perceptions and desires."
Such "unrestricted access" by what the two dub "a repressive, authoritarian government" could pose "significant potential risks of surveillance of Americans, covert Saudi propaganda, and selective retaliation and censorship of persons disfavored by the Saudi government." AI further complicates things, as it "poses additional risk should Saudi Arabia, which has sought to position itself as an AI leader, gain access to EA's research, work product, and user data."
Without "meaningful mitigation conditions," the senators feel "the PIF's privatization of EA threatens to eliminate transparency into the company's activities." They go on to conclude, "In short, the Saudi government's ability to exert its influence through EA would offer the authoritarian regime an effective tool to project power worldwide," citing analyst Mariana Olaizola Rosenblat.
"Saudi Arabia clearly recognizes the political and cultural influence of video games, especially among young people."
It's a lot to take in, but to be completely fair, the senators aren't alone in their worries regarding the buyout. Gamers themselves, including prominent content creators within The Sims 4 community and beyond, have called the deal "extremely scary" – and developers, too, have responded to it.
Baldur's Gate 3 director Swen Vincke took time "to remind people that making games faster and cheaper while charging more has never worked before" – although he didn't directly point fingers at EA. Overall, though, it's safe to say the deal is controversial at best.
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