US Congress members name for ‘thorough overview’ of EA’s $55 billion sale

Earlier than Electronic Arts goes non-public in a groundbreaking sale, some US lawmakers are pleading for some federal oversight. Democratic members of the US Congress, as a part of the Congressional Labor Caucus, penned a letter asking the Federal Commerce Fee to “completely overview” the $55 billion acquisition of EA.

EA confirmed the sale to the Public Funding Fund, or the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, Silver Lake and Affinity Companions in September, however the deal is anticipated to shut within the first quarter of 2027. Earlier than the official change of possession, the 46 Home Democrats who signed the letter to the FTC are calling for extra scrutiny into the impacts of the deal.

The letter famous a few of the most consequential results, together with the worsening of an unstable business, the potential for extra layoffs and elevated market dominance for EA. “We respectfully urge the Fee to conduct a radical investigation into the labor market penalties of this proposed acquisition, together with EA’s present wage-setting energy, the probability of post-transaction layoffs, the diploma of labor-market focus in related geographic and occupational markets, and the function of cross-ownership in shaping labor outcomes,” the letter learn.

The letter already earned assist from the Communications Staff of America union, who additionally supported a petition from the United Video Games union. As noticed by Eurogamer, the petition calls on regulators and elected officers to “scrutinize this deal and make sure that any path ahead protects jobs and preserves artistic freedom.”