Welp, it’s almost certainly happening: EA says it has officially cleared all regulatory hurdles standing between it and a blissful future in the iron maiden-like embrace of Saudi Arabia. This will end poorly for all involved—except those making out like bandits, of course.
“As of July 30, 2026, all regulatory approvals required to complete the Merger have been obtained,” EA wrote in an 8-K form filed today. “Electronic Arts currently expects the Merger to close on or about the close of trading on August 4, 2026. Completion of the Merger remains subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the remaining customary closing conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement.”
Once the $55 billion deal closes, EA will be owned by a consortium that includes Silver Lake and the Jared Kushner-fronted Affinity Partners, but 93.4 percent of the pie will go to Saudi Arabia. Members of the US government, including 46 members of Congress, have voiced opposition to the deal, with US representative Maxwell Frost joining popular The Sims YouTuber Kayla “Lilsimsie” Sims during a livestream to get the word out about its many perilous pitfalls.
Since then, the group that helped put the stream together, Players Alliance, has staged demonstrations in DC, Redwood City, Orlando, and Madison to show that at least a vocal contingent of EA’s audience do not plan to take this lying down. It has also collected 74,000 signatures on a petition demanding that the US treasury secretary block the deal. EA execs have reacted to this scrutiny by chirping publicly about how cool they think AI is.
Earlier this week, Frost sent a letter to EA CEO Andrew Wilson, the contents of which were shared with Aftermath by Frost’s office. It read:
Dear Mr. Wilson,
I am concerned about the proposed acquisition of Electronic Arts (EA) by Saudi Arabia’s Public Interest Fund (PIF) along with Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, the latter of which is managed by Jared Kushner.
I understand that the deal is under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States within the Treasury Department. Meanwhile, a group of investors has sought EU subsidy approval with a reported decision deadline of July 30, 2026.
If completed, this would be the largest buyout of a publicly traded company to date. Reporting also indicates that his deal would saddle EA with $20 billion in debt. An acquisition of this scale could cause workforce reductions, office closures, and reduced investment in creative development and innovation, including extensive use of artificial intelligence (AI). Already since the deal was announced, there have been three rounds of layoffs. And EA’s partnership with Stability AI, announced just after the deal was announced, will likely be used to replace these employees and cut labor costs.
Additionally, I am concerned about the effects on workers in my district. One of EA's major United States offices is located in Orlando’s creative village, employing over 500 workers who contribute to a number of projects, including Madden NFL and College Football. These employees are artists, designers, and other professionals who contribute daily to Florida’s economy.
Beyond workforce and community impacts, I am also closely following the impacts on consumers. Players worldwide enjoy EA games and must continue to do so, free from any political or religious influence of the company’s investors. I also want to ensure that no acquisition increases prices, adds subscriptions or more microtransactions, or reduces game quality in other ways meant to cut costs.
Frost concluded by asking Wilson a series of questions about how exactly the acquisition will play out and impacts it will have on workers, EA games, and LGBTQ representation within said games, requesting that Wilson reply in writing by August 5.
It is unlikely that his efforts—or those of any other authentically well-meaning person—will stop the acquisition at this point; too many awful people have stood to benefit from the get go, and as a result, the deal faced little meaningful resistance from anyone with actual power. Now shareholders and those at the top of the company are about to add substantial sums to their already bottomless bank accounts while EA trudges on, saddled with $20 billion in debt (resulting from the structure of the deal) that will almost certainly necessitate large-scale cuts and other concerns outlined above by Frost. This stands to further poison an already very much ailing video game industry.
It’s cold comfort in the grand scheme of things, but this probably won’t go great for Saudi Arabia either. While the soft power and sportswashing of EA to Saudi Arabia—especially where the NFL is concerned—were immediately apparent, the aforementioned debt will only add to the woes of a government that finds itself running (relatively) low on funds due to overspending and the war in Iran. 2026 has seen Saudi Arabia scramble to offload sporting ventures, an obvious sign that its strategy of the past several years isn’t paying off.
On the other hand, Wilson, EA’s CEO, couldn’t be doing better. Earlier this week, an SEC filing revealed that Wilson's "total compensation" for the company's 2026 fiscal year was $38,649,984, an $8 million increase from 2025. A big reason cited? The success of Battlefield 6, which sold more than seven million copies in just three days, only for Wilson and his ghoul squad to lay off members of the team that made it earlier this year. Anyway, fuck ‘em all. They deserve to burn. There’s not really much more to say.
It's Hater Week here on Aftermath. This week we’re letting the hate flow through us by examining what it means to be a hater (and… a lover?), venting about some of our biggest pet peeves in games and life, and giving others a space to do the same.
