EA Staff Slam Leadership After Saudi Takeover as Job Security Fears Mount
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
EA employees are heavily criticizing leadership following a Saudi-backed buyout, citing deep fears of layoffs, creative censorship, and a total lack of corporate morals.
As the ink dries on the massive leveraged buyout of Electronic Arts by the Saudi Arabian government and Jared Kushner backed investors, internal anxiety is reaching a boiling point. According to a recent report by Game Developer, anonymous employees are sharply criticizing corporate leadership, with one staff member stating that the company lacks any semblance of a moral backbone for partnering with a state whose values clash openly with the identities of many workers. While executives have offered vague reassurances regarding creative independence, morale is cratering across development floors.
Workers are bracing for a turbulent future marked by constant layoff threats and potential asset selloffs. Because the acquisition relies on a leveraged buyout structure that saddles the newly private company with heavy debt, employees expect underperforming teams and franchises to be targeted. Many fear that layoffs will happen in rolling waves rather than massive single events to avoid legal scrutiny, while others worry about preemptive self censorship on projects that might displease their new stakeholders. Reports of tone deaf leadership responses during town hall meetings, including a hot mic incident where an executive dismissed concerned workers as babies, have only deepened the divide.
Despite the pervasive gloom, some staff are adopting a pragmatic approach focused on financial survival. Management has highlighted potential windfalls for employees holding vested shares as the stock price responds to the buyout, prompting a bitter consensus among workers to secure whatever payout they can before job security evaporates entirely. As the industry navigates yet another massive structural shift, the situation highlights the widening gap between corporate bottom lines and the everyday realities of the developers who actually build our favorite games.
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Tags: EA, Industry News, Game Development, Business, Culture
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun