EA says it will retain “creative control,” should it sell to Saudi-backed consortium

A month after announcing the pending $55 billion debt-financed sale, EA offers some updates and clarifications.

Apex Legends. Screenshot: EA

Electronic Arts told employees last week that a pending sale of the company to private investors, including Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, will not come at the cost of deciding which games it makes or what goes in them.

“EA will maintain creative control, and our track record of creative freedom and player-first values will remain intact,” the maker of Madden, Battlefield, The Sims and Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects said in an updated version of its Frequently Asked Questions document for EA workers.

EA announced on September 29 that it plans to sell the company for $55 billion to the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), private equity firm Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, an investment group run by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump. EA also published an FAQ for workers that day.

Since then, employees, reporters and some U.S. government officials have questioned how EA would change under new ownership and whether Saudi owners, in particular, would limit or alter the creative direction of the game maker’s work.

EA has been nearly silent about the deal since its announcement. The updated FAQ offers helpful hints about which aspects of the sale the company felt some pressire to explain in greater depth.