EA insists it will “maintain creative control” and “creative freedom” if sale to consortium goes ahead

Electronic Arts (EA) insists it will “maintain creative control” and “creative freedom” if its sale to a consortium of investors goes ahead.

Electronic Arts confirmed it was entering an agreement to be acquired by a group of investors comprised Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners at the end of September. The PIF is run by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the investment firm Affinity Partners was formed by Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The investment group will acquire 100% of the developer, with PIF rolling its existing stake in the company, and be the “largest all-cash sponsor take-private investment in history” when it closes in the next six to nine months.

In a Frequently Asked Questions document distributed to its staff and shared by Game File, EA said its “mission, values, and commitment to players and fans around the world remain unchanged,” and stressed “EA will maintain creative control, and our track record of creative freedom and player-first values will remain intact.”

“The Consortium believes in our vision, our leadership and our focus on creating games, stories, and content that reflect a range of experiences and delivering them to our global player community,” the company said. “They’re investing in the creativity that defines EA.”

The company also denied financial trouble, writing: “This partnership gives us the ability to move faster and unlock new opportunities on a global stage,” and that there would be no “immediate” changes to jobs, teams, or daily work.

EA also reiterated that Andrew Wilson will remain CEO and there will be “no changes” to the executive team.

Last week, the president of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) wrote to the Federal Trade Comission (FTC) and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) calling for a comprehensive review of the recently announced buyout of Electronic Arts (EA).