Overview
- Senators Richard Blumenthal and Elizabeth Warren sent letters to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and EA CEO Andrew Wilson seeking a CFIUS probe of the deal’s foreign influence and national-security risks.
- The letters warn that PIF involvement could grant Saudi authorities access to EA user data and AI work product and allow influence over game content and product decisions.
- The senators questioned Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners role and the premium price offered, raising conflict-of-interest concerns tied to regulatory approval.
- The United Videogame Workers-CWA issued an open letter and petition urging regulators to scrutinize the buyout, warning of potential layoffs and studio closures to service nearly $20 billion in new debt.
- EA’s $55 billion leveraged buyout would take the publisher private under PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners, includes a reported $1 billion termination fee, and remains pending shareholder and regulatory approvals with no operational changes announced.