EA has once more dismissed an undisclosed number of workers, marking a third wave of job cuts within the year. The move comes as the $55 billion leveraged purchase backed by Saudi Arabia edges nearer to being finalized.
As first reported by Kotaku, employees across multiple functions—including recruitment, customer support, trust and safety, and IT—were affected, according to sources the outlet cites. Posts on social media from several former employees who were recently released from the gaming company also seem to back up the claim.
Many of these public updates appear to be shared by people who were working remotely, with staff located both in the United States and elsewhere. Eurogamer has contacted EA to request a response.
These layoffs are happening while the company undergoes major internal change. Like many software organizations, EA is also rolling out AI tools. In late 2024, CEO Andrew Wilson said that AI was “the very core of our business,” adding that the company has more than 100 AI efforts in progress. The use of AI has been given as a reason for cuts across different parts of the organization, not only within the video game industry. Still, EA executive Laura Miele has publicly argued that it has triggered a “real surge of creativity” throughout the publisher’s studios.
Meanwhile, the leveraged acquisition led by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund is also approaching. Should the deal close, the sovereign wealth fund would take a 93.4 percent ownership position in EA. The buyout is expected to move forward in the coming months, provided that an EU anti-trust approval ruling is issued, with a deadline of July 23.
If it receives approval, the transaction would become the largest deal of its kind on record. The arrangement was initially announced in September 2025 and is expected to proceed with limited pushback, partly because of ties involving Saudi Arabia and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump. Even so, the proposal has drawn opposition from both gaming unions and human rights groups. The timing for the deal to be completed—and what EA’s workforce might look like afterward—remains unclear.