EA Staff Fear Saudi Ownership Could Decide Which Projects Move Forward
Anonymous employees said the company's promises about creative freedom have not eased concerns about content restrictions, inclusivity, and job security.
EA staff members are worried that the company’s new Saudi-led ownership could affect which projects receive approval, even if executives never announce a formal content policy. Multiple anonymous employees described that concern in interviews with Game Developer after EA’s $55 billion buyout put the publisher under a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). The transaction closed earlier in August, leaving EA privately owned through that group. The PIF is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The investor group also includes Silver Lake and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, but the PIF holds the supermajority. An earlier ownership breakdown reported that the fund would control 93.4% of EA after the transaction closed, giving employees plenty of reason to view it as the deal’s dominant voice. The buyout was also described as the largest leveraged buyout in private equity history.
One employee described a quiet approval process rather than a public order: “projects just won’t get signed because they don’t align explicitly with what the Saudi government wants.” The concern is that teams could tailor pitches—or decide not to pitch certain concepts at all—to avoid a reaction from the owners, even without receiving a direct instruction to remove a character, theme, or story element.
Another employee specifically pointed to Saudi Arabia’s treatment of queer people as a source of discomfort. That concern is especially sharp around The Sims, a series praised for LGBT representation and known for building a large queer audience.
Human Dignity Trust’s Saudi Arabia profile says same-sex sexual activity between men and women is criminalized there, while trans people’s gender expression is also criminalized. The organization says the maximum sentence can be death and points to evidence of enforcement in recent years, along with discrimination and violence against LGBT people.
Some staff also view the acquisition as a form of sportswashing: allowing Saudi Arabia to borrow EA’s comparatively progressive company culture and popular entertainment brands while drawing attention away from the kingdom’s human-rights record.
EA’s reassurances have not settled staff concerns
EA had already tried to calm employees after the buyout was revealed, saying its creative direction and focus on players would remain intact under the new ownership. In January, Maxis leaders also said The Sims would continue to be guided by inclusion, player choice, creativity, community, and play.
Those statements have not answered every question inside the company. Employees said the reassurances remained too vague to settle fears about creative influence or job security, with one staffer saying EA had not done enough to address either issue. Earlier company leadership was viewed as more willing to provide direct answers, while current messaging was described as impersonal corporate language, making the transition harder for workers already questioning the morality of the buyout.
A difficult job market leaves employees with few options
Moral objections have collided with a weak hiring market across the video game industry. Some EA workers reportedly feel unable to leave even when they are deeply uncomfortable with the buyout because comparable jobs are difficult to find and personal bills still need to be paid.
Employees who hold vested EA shares stand to benefit from the premium offered in the acquisition. Many workers classified as “temporary fulltime” do not own shares, however, leaving them without the same financial benefit.
The financial pressure surrounding the transaction adds another layer of anxiety. EA took on $18 billion in debt as part of the buyout, while planned cost-cutting measures have fueled fears about layoffs across the company. No layoffs or game cancellations had been confirmed, but employees worry that teams could be cut and projects abandoned if they do not meet the financial targets expected by the new ownership.
For now, there is no announced change to the content or inclusion policies of The Sims. The concern from staff is about how future projects may be judged before they ever receive approval, and whether EA’s promises will hold as those decisions move forward.
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