EA Employees Express Concerns Over Saudi Arabia Deal
Some EA employees have voiced concerns about the company's Saudi-backed acquisition, citing human rights issues and its potential impact on company culture.
In case you missed it
In case you missed it
Electronic Arts
Following the acquisition of Electronic Arts by a consortium of investors, including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, some of the gaming company's employees have expressed concerns rooted in cultural differences between the new leadership and the Western corporate culture they've been accustomed to at EA.
According to a report by Game Developer, some EA workers based in the US and Canada, who wished to remain anonymous, shared their opinions, citing human rights concerns and questions about the reputation of the participants involved in the deal.
"Between Football Club, Madden, and Battlefield, the studio has a huge global reach. We've been assured in town hall meetings that this purchase won't negatively impact our company culture, but that's working under the assumption that EA's culture is morally good and well-intentioned in the first place," one of them says.
Another opinion touches upon the idea that the acquisition allows Saudi Arabia to shift attention away from criticism over its human rights record by "co-opting an established and comparatively progressive company culture." One employee shared that the staff was in a "state of cynicism" after the deal closed, despite leadership's assurances that the company's creative work would remain unaffected.
One of the comments summed up the discomfort many at the studio seem to share:
"It's certainly hard to feel good about being bought out by a regime that's very much at odds with progressive society, so it is surely detrimental to anyone who finds this buyout morally odious. It's not a good feeling."
Another employee said they feel uncomfortable with the deal and noted that they can't simply leave due to a lack of other job opportunities, adding: "I'd love to leave, but the jobs aren't there, and I have bills to pay."
Earlier, Electronic Arts reassured its employees that no immediate changes to their jobs, including layoffs, would follow the acquisition. Concerns about job cuts came up more than once, but there were no official comments on the matter.
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