EA Exec Calls Employees ‘Little Babies’ for Being Worried About Losing Their Job
The deal has raised concerns about The Sims’ inclusive features and future monetisation as players watch for changes under private ownership.
- On August 4, 2026, Electronic Arts completed a $55 billion takeover, transitioning to private ownership backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund , Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners.
- Financed through significant debt, the $55 billion deal places pressure on privately held EA to generate returns, potentially affecting monetization strategies, staffing levels, and development budgets.
- For 25 years, The Sims has provided an inclusive space for players, introducing customizable pronouns and sexual-orientation settings in 2022 through consultation with GLAAD and the It Gets Better Project.
- Popular creator Kayla Sims has publicly discussed the acquisition with Congressman Maxwell Frost, while some LGBTQ+ players consider boycotting the franchise over concerns regarding Saudi Arabia's human rights record.
- While no evidence suggests EA intends to alter current content, critics argue major gaming investments serve as soft power, leaving players to monitor how business priorities might reshape the franchise.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Jared Kushner and Saudi Buyout of EA Could Destroy 'The Sims' as a Safe Space for Queer Diversity
For 25 years, The Sims has been more than a video game for many players. It has been a place to build relationships, explore identity and create lives on their own terms. For queer players especially, that flexibility has helped make the game feel like an inclusive space. Now, The Sims has new owners, and some players are questioning whether that identity could change. Electronic Arts completed its $55 billion (£41 billion) takeover on 4 August,…
Internally, the gap between EA's management and employees appears to be widening. Several employees report instances of contempt in response to widespread employee concerns.
EA Devs Fear Underperforming Games and Studios Could Be Cut Following Saudi Buyout
A common theme in recent gaming industry stories has been the seeming disparity between how things are going for those at the top of the industry’s biggest players and the everyday workers at those companies. While AAA publishers are repeatedly making news for record-breaking sales or massive corporate mergers, they’re also making news for the restructuring of organizations leading to layoffs and even closures of entire studios. The latest massi…
EA's Saudi takeover wouldn't have happened if the company's culture "had any semblance of a moral backbone", say staff fearing layoffs and ownership meddling
Now the ink's starting to dry on the Saudi Arabian government and Jared Kushner-backed takeover of EA, which has seen the company go private, staff are getting to grips with what the ownership change might mean for them going forwards. Fears of layoffs and teams or game series being sold off following the leveraged buyout hang in the air alongside unease about the effect the Saudi state's values might have on what gets the green light in future,…
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