The president of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) has written to the Federal Trade Comission (FTC) and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) calling for a comprehensive review of the recently announced buyout of Electronic Arts (EA).
Electronic Arts confirmed it was entering an agreement to be acquired by a group of investors comprised Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners at the end of last month.
The investment group will acquire 100% of the developer, with PIF rolling its existing stake in the company, and be the “largest all-cash sponsor take-private investment in history” when it closes before Q1 FY27.
The PIF is run by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the investment firm Affinity Partners was formed by Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Calling the acquisition “unprecedented” with “implications for workers and consumers,” Claude Cummings Jr. called for federal regulators to take “all necessary steps to prevent foreign and private equity interests from destabilizing the American video game industry.”
Cummings Jr. suggests the risks of the deal include labor market competition issues given increasing consolidation of the games industry, national security risks “giving foreign owners access to vast collections of American video game consumers’ personal data and communications” as well as foreign ownership of EA’s technology, including AI, and competition risks posed by cross-ownership of EA’s competitors, suppliers, and licensors.
“This deal is not about innovation or growth for the U.S. economy – it’s about handing control to a small group of powerful investors and putting thousands of jobs and sensitive consumer data at risk,” Cummings Jr. said of the deal.
“I’m calling on CFIUS Chair Scott Bessent and FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson to scrutinize this deal carefully and to ensure that this deal protects American workers, consumers, and the future of the video game industry.”
Earlier today, Electronic Arts published its second quarter financial results, recording decreases in sales and revenue despite seeing growth in its sports franchise.
