Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson says the company’s acquisition by a consortium made up of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners investment firm, and private equity firm Silver Lake represents “a new era of opportunity,” and that “our values and our commitment to players and fans around the world remain unchanged.”
Wilson shared the sentiment in a memo sent to employees shortly after the deal, valued at $55 billion, was made public.
“This moment is a recognition of your creativity, your innovation, and your passion,” Wilson said. “You have built some of the world’s most iconic IP, created stories that have inspired global communities, and helped shape culture through interactive experiences. Everything we have achieved—and everything that lies ahead—is because of you.
“We are entering a new era of opportunity. This is one of the largest and most significant investments ever made in the entertainment industry. Our new partners bring deep experience across sports, gaming, and entertainment. They are committed with conviction to EA—they believe in our people, our leadership, and the long-term vision we are now building together.”
I’m not sure how much “deep experience” the new partners—in reality, new owners—really bring to the table. Affinity Partners is owned by Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who to the best of my knowledge is not a big videogame aficionado but does have significant financial involvement with Saudi Arabia, perhaps most notably a $2 billion investment in Affinity Partners made by the PIF
The PIF is known for being a big player in gaming and esports, with holdings—directly or through its Savvy Games Group subsidiary—in Capcom, Embracer, ESL, Nexon, Nintendo, Take-Two, and more. It’s also faced accusations that it’s using these properties as a form of “sportswashing” to distract from its human rights record as well as more specific allegations, such as the finding by multiple Western intelligence agencies that Saudi Arabia crown prince Mohammad bin Salman—also the chairman of the PIF—ordered the murder and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Saudi Arabia has also faced allegations of sportswashing in actual sports, most notably the PIF’s controversial takeover of Newcastle United FC in 2021.
The news, which began to break yesterday, has caught the gaming industry by surprise. Partly because nothing about it immediately screams ‘potential for exciting synergies!’ in the same way you might argue of other megabucks deals, like Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard, or Sony’s acquisition of Bungie, although your mileage may vary on how those have turned out. It also begs the question of what’s in store for EA’s non-sports games, particularly the likes of its RPG output. Still, Wilson said that all is well, and predicted a bold, fruitful future for EA.
“Our values and our commitment to players and fans around the world remain unchanged,” Wilson wrote. “With continued rigor and operational excellence, we can amplify the creativity of our teams, accelerate innovation, and pursue transformative opportunities that position EA to lead the future of entertainment. Together, we’ll create experiences that are bold, expressive, and deeply connected to inspire generations of players around the world.
I find that bit interesting too: Talk of amplifying creativity and accelerating innovation is largely meaningless but it does bring to my mind thoughts of AI, and all the wonderful things C-suite executives think (or hope, or wish) it could do in place of actually creative people.
Wilson previously expressed great enthusiasm for the potential impact of AI on game development in 2024, when he took a big bong rip (figuratively, you understand) before waxing poetic about billions of people around the world “creating personal content and expanding and enhancing the universes that we create”—and also how to use it to make the company 30% more efficient, which if you’ve been following along for any length of time at all you’ll recognize as another way of saying ‘layoffs.’
For now, though, Wilson—who will remain in his position as CEO after the deal is done, for some time at least—is grateful to the people at EA who made the $55 billion buyout possible. And surely not just because he and other senior management will likely have been sat on very sizeable stock options before the sale happened.
“Thank you for your creativity, your commitment, and the passion you bring to EA every day,” he wrote. “This is a historic moment, and with the support of our new partners, the future we are building together is brighter than ever.”
