On September 29th, EA, Electronic Arts Inc., announced its potential monumental $55 billion acquisition by Saudi-backed consortium Silver Lake, as part of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing effort to expand its exports into the world of media entertainment. This announcement quickly received shock and outcry from many fans of EA’s established franchises, including but not limited to Battlefield, Madden, FIFA Sports, and The Sims. Baffled fans had reached their boiling point as the reveal further solidified a long-growing resentment had towards EA, in part due to the increasingly greedy selling practices as well as the tense ongoing debate among consumers about the implicit effects of video games on American politics.
EA, currently an American-established public company, is set to become owned by not just any private equity firm, but one that is overseen by firm manager Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. More specifically, Silver Lake was able to form the deal alongside the Saudi Public Investment Fund, a large sovereign wealth fund overseen by the Saudi government. This raises many ethical and governmental concerns regarding how EA’s politically connected investors may influence other debt-laden media enterprises into selling themselves to foreign owners under the control of authoritarian regimes. If EA can sell itself in one of the largest acquisitions in history, what is stopping Saudi-Arabia from picking up more desperate entertainment enterprises? And how come the Trump family now gets a head seat at the table?
Saudi Arabia has made its stance on human rights, freedom of the press, and queer identities clear: expressions of identity and thought are meant to be persecuted and silenced. In recent times, America has seen a wave of criticism regarding censorship in the government, but there is no denying that these marginalized identities are still allowed to exist here in a way that would be grounds for persecution in Saudi Arabia, where it is common to face jail time and even execution for partaking in same-sex activity, free press, and human rights activism. In fact, the country’s long history of authoritarian censorship is what has made the prospective acquisition of EA so controversial, as there is no longer a way to buy such media without indirectly supporting the authoritarian state of Saudi Arabia. It also raises questions about the potential soft power there is to be gained by Saudi when it comes to policing and controlling established media, because what is now the powerful and diverse medium of video games may become another tool in parroting oppressive and exclusionary propaganda.
In October, many outspoken supporters and influencers for many of the EA franchises broke their silence to publicly denounce the sale, with many even cutting brand ties to EA in a bold display of protest. One of EA’s most profitable franchises, The Sims, caught public attention when a wave of established Sim content creators united to leave the EA Creators Network within the past week. Many of these creators, who have previously advertised and worked with EA through early access privilege, publicity events, or affiliate codes on EA purchases, took to social media, echoing the sentiments of so many within the Sims community on their discomfort regarding EA’s potential new owners as well as the ethical implications of the buyout. Many cited that they did not want to support a foreign government who actively persecuted the same marginalized identities which the Sims franchise represents and profits from. Apart from the Sims, fans of EA’s other franchises took to the internet to vocalize their disgust with the shady business implications of the company’s possible buyout as well. If one thing has been made clear since the acquisition’s announcement: opposition to the decision has been nearly unanimous.
The outrage surrounding EA’s acquisition is about more than just the proceedings of wealthy corporate owners; it’s about what that change in ownership represents for both the average consumer and the global power market. In looking to sell itself to a Saudi-funded private firm, EA has forced consumers, content creators, and the industry at large to come face to face with a harrowing ethical dilemma: should we let our personal pursuit of pleasure and profit outweigh the moral responsibility of upholding universal human rights? As gaming continues to evolve into one of the most expansive mediums for diverse expression, the people who are creating these games matter. If creative freedom becomes a puppet of political and economic interests belonging to authoritarian systems, the things we create on screen could very soon become stripped of their unique identities when those identities are no longer allowed to exist.