In the wake of Saudi Arabia’s leveraged buyout of Electronic Arts for $55 billion, gamers upset by the takeover are planning to protest the publisher’s Redwood, California, headquarters on May 11 in cosplay.
A movement known as the Players Alliance HQ has announced its intent to “raid” EA’s headquarters on May 11 at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET. The goal is to denounce Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) buyout of the publisher, with cosplaying gamers planning to unravel a 50-foot scroll of over 70,000 petition signatures on the Madden football field at the center of the campus. There appears to be a whole performance involved in the protest as well, with gamers dressing in suits and top hats portraying the “corporate villains” behind the deal. Further, a giant health bar prop will slowly deplete as supporters digitally engage with the protest, and a loot-box demonstration will reveal a range of prizes like mass layoffs, studio closures, and aggressive monetization.
According to the press release, Players Alliance HQ fears that, should the $55 billion deal go through (which would saddle EA with $20 billion in debt), the company could face pressure to cut jobs, replace employees with AI, and institute price hikes to recoup the losses of the buyout.
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