EA lays off yet another wave of staff in the run up to sale to Saudi Arabia

EA has laid off an unspecified number of staff yet again, its third wave of staffing cuts this year. This comes as the $55bn Saudi Arabian leveraged buyout of the company marches closer.

First reported by Kotaku, staff from across its recruitment, customer support, trust and safety, and IT teams have been affected, according to the outlet's sources. Social media posts from several now-former staff at the gaming giant have also announced their departure from the company, seeming to corroborate the report.

Many of these public social media posts come from staff working remote both within and outside the USA. Eurogamer has contacted EA for comment.

This comes in the wake of gigantic shifts for the company. For one EA, like many software companies, is embracing AI. CEO Andrew Wilson said in late 2024 that AI was "the very core of our business", with him claiming the company had over 100 AI projects in the works. AI has been used as justification for job cuts across many companies, not only limited to the video game industry.

In addition, the leveraged buyout of EA by the state-owned Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund is imminent. The nation will own - via its state wealth fund - 93.4 percent of the company if the deal goes through. The buyout is meant to go through within the next few months, with only an European anti-trust approval verdict on a 23rd July deadline holding it back.

This leveraged buyout, if approved, would be the largest of all time. First announced in September 2025, the deal is expected to go ahead without much resistance due in part to the involvement of Saudi Arabia and USA president Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Nonetheless, these plans have been protested by both video game unions and human rights groups. When exactly this deal will go through, and how many of EA's current staff will be present when it does, remains unclear.