Electronic Arts' $55 billion leveraged buyout, backed by Saudi Arabia, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners, has officially concluded. The publisher is now privately owned and carries significant debt, prompting questions about its future direction. Shams Jorjani, CEO of Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead, has voiced his apprehension that EA might narrow its focus to becoming a "sequel-and-mega-franchise machine."
Jorjani emphasized the industry's need for both business and creative diversity. He noted EA's past success with a wide range of titles, from blockbusters like Battlefield and Mass Effect to more niche games such as Split Fiction and Unravel, alongside classics like Command and Conquer Generals and SimCity 2000. He expressed hope that the new ownership would foster this breadth of content, but cautioned that if EA pivots solely towards sequels and mega-franchises, it would represent a "real waste of one of the best catalogues in the industry."
Concerns about EA's future strategy are amplified by the financial implications of the deal. According to reports, EA has taken on $18 billion in debt. To manage this, the publisher plans to cut $700 million in annual costs, including $170 million in "organizational efficiencies," which are widely interpreted as potential layoffs. This financial pressure suggests that EA may be less inclined to invest in reviving shelved series, such as Burnout or Codemasters' rally games and Need For Speed, or in developing new projects outside of its established cash cows like EA FC, Battlefield, Madden, The Sims, and Star Wars titles. BioWare's recent staff reductions following Dragon Age: The Veilguard also cast doubt on the studio's ability to pursue projects beyond the Mass Effect series.