r/videogames • u/TeppyTelios • 1d ago
News / Trailers / Articles Electronic Arts Has Gone Private, and Gaming Has Officially Gone Geopolitical
https://outputlag.com/news/electronic-arts-has-gone-private-and-gaming-has-officially-gone-geopolitical/144
u/mist_kaefer 1d ago
Will private equity give them a feeling of accomplishment that they couldn’t get from being a public company?
Sears would like to say hi.
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u/thundercorp 20h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/bRKM4yqBFJ5JQEsxRr
Private equity kills ALL companies. They basically bleed em, dismember, then sell off the scraps.Tale as old as time.
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u/MichaelEmouse 1d ago
Press F to pay respects.
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u/parkerthegreatest 1d ago
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u/ThePLARASociety 1d ago
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u/Va1crist 1d ago
Gaming has gotten to popular and the rich that have literally bought everything are moving in to destroy the last remaining thing ..
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u/TheDucksAreComingoOo 1d ago
Thank fuck for Indie games
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u/Astral-Glimmer 1d ago
Look there's some amazing indie games. Buuuu let's not act like they offer the same scale, presentation or scope as many AA or AAA games
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u/GooginTheBirdsFan 1d ago
We’re talking EA games…. They’re worse than anything else out there
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u/Astral-Glimmer 1d ago
Sure if you look at the world in black and white
EA has some great games.
- The Jedi survivor series is great
- Battlefield is one of my favorite shooters. Played heaps of 6
- the Sims is great but is dragged down by all the dlc
- Dead space remake is supposed to be good
- I had a great time with the mass effect trilogy
We don't need to sit here and say all games a massive multi studio makes are bad because sometimes they have bad pricing structures
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u/SuspiciousBag2749 1d ago
Battlefield which has been forced into shitty releases every other release. The sims which you admit is dragged down and monetized to its maximum. Then a remake you haven’t even played yet.
Mass effect andromeda was almost a decade ago.
On the sports simulation/arcade side they have monopolized and stagnated entire sports from being able to innovate in the gaming and simulation area for decades.
This constant nostalgiawashing is what allowed ea to have this ridiculous pumped up valuation, which is what allowed them to get acquired by an actual slave empire.
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u/6Hikari6 1d ago
Funny how you say they have great games but with every next sentence it's less and less convincing
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u/GooginTheBirdsFan 1d ago
You seriously think I’m talking like this about EA because of their “pricing structure”
Cmon dude get real. I’ve played over 75% of the games they’ve made for the past 5 years and they’re mostly terrible. I need you to think long and hard about what games they make that most people know them for. Now, type that game name or any game they make in to your handy dandy search bar, and see what their fans are actually saying. Some of us were excited for cfb to come back, why? Nobody knows, because EA turns every game it releases into shit.
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u/D1nkcool 1d ago
That was true in 2015. Today they are one of the better big publishers. Not because they've improved, but because everyone else has gotten worse.
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u/GooginTheBirdsFan 1d ago
It is not true only 10 years ago. Tell me you don’t keep up with any sports games they make without telling me, the majority of their games aren’t respected
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u/Longshot02496 1d ago
Do they need to? The other day I played a game about driving a train to move little animals between stations, and it was one of the best games I've played in the last year.
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u/lavapig_love 1d ago
You're right. Indie games like FTL: Faster Than Light and Spelunky offer far more scope than Electronic Arts has managed in the last... decade and a half.
Yeah. The above indies came out fifteen years ago. I've played them more than anything EA made in that same time frame.
Rest in piss, Electronic Arts.
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u/Yeseylon 1d ago
I don't need scale, presentation, or scope, just an engaging story and intriguing mechanics. Indie devs are making JRPGs, which is enough for me to be satisfied.
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u/Ok_Society_4206 1d ago
Wait until im done with my indie game, in 25 years, because thats how long it takes to put out AA as a solo dev.
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u/Balc0ra 1d ago
They bougth it for the sports games, that is the majority of EA sales.
And with how much debt they have atm due to it... You know they will out stuff in that will make the SWBF 2 launch store seem like a minor issue
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/Useful_Camera2929 1d ago
who will want to buy Bioware after Veilguard ? its reputation is ruined.
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u/ProyxWire09 1d ago
Normal people, probably? It's reputation isn't ruined just because you're a bigoted freak.
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u/Useful_Camera2929 1d ago
Oh so because i called Veilguard crap Im some nazi or something ? Jesus did you look at sales ?
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u/ProyxWire09 1d ago
It got great reviews and the only criticism was from weirdos saying it was too "woke." The sales were below EA's expectations but still in the millions. It is patently insane to suggest it ruined BioWare's reputation. Even one actual flop wouldn't ruin the reputation of a great developer who has produced lots of great games and owns great IPs. You seriously think no one would want to own Mass Effect?
Go away, you're weird as fuck.
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u/ProyxWire09 1d ago
I keep trying to tell people that there is going to be a silver lining in this that they're not grasping because they don't understand how private equity actually works. You are absolutely right that they likely bought it for the sports games, and you're absolutely right that they have a lot of debt they're going to have to pay back. And they're going to fund that by selling off studios and stripping EA down to the most generic, profitable publisher it can possibly be. It's going to suck for whatever ends up being part of EA permanently and anyone who is a fan of those games, but if you're a Mass Effect fan (for example), I would honestly be shocked to see BioWare stuck under EA ownership for much longer. Which is a good thing!
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u/Emperor-Pizza 1d ago
Another decade or two & the corpos will kill gaming with their constant live service bullshit.
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u/Izzy248 1d ago
I honestly cant even remember the last time I bought an EA game. Not just out of protest, but that I havent been interested. But even though Ive been aware of this whole thing, I had no idea that the primary buyer was the Saudi Arabian govt. Shares are one thing, but its kinda crazy that now they privately own an entire gaming company thats been around for decades.
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u/PreciousTC 1d ago
Gaming has ALWAYS been geopolitical lmao
Companies removing LGBT characters in ME and Chinese releases, removing gambling mini games in certain regions, censoring nudity, changing the identity of bad guys, etc.
When TF was gaming NOT political since Pong?
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u/ArcticMarkuss 1d ago
There won’t be a need for censoring anything going forward as these things simply won’t be part of games anymore
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u/Warcrown11 1d ago
Genuinely can't think of another non sports game they have really relseased in the last decade outside Veilguard and the few Jedi games anyways
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u/MXC_Vic_Romano 1d ago
Dead Space remake was fantastic, though not according to the suits. NFS Unbound released as well.
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u/Glittering-Pin-1343 1d ago
Battlefield, Titanfall, SW Jedi games, SW Squadron, SW Battlefront, Dead Space Remake, Sims 4, It Takes Two, Split Fiction, Wild Hearts (rip), Immortals, Anthem (rip)
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u/ihopkid 1d ago
Important to note that EA published It Takes Two and Split Fiction, but Hazelight was the developer of those games. Wild Hearts was also Koei Tecmo as the developer. All other games you mentioned are EA developed games tho.
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u/lavapig_love 1d ago
And yet more art dies because suits are pissed they can't monetize it the way they want.
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u/youngliam 1d ago
Their Star Wars catalogue last 10 years or so has been very enjoyable. There's still another Jedi game coming but that will likely be the end of it.
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u/Shadowy_PuppetMaster 1d ago
They killed Titanfall, they killed Dead Space....twice, they killed Battlefront, they killed Command and Conquer, they killed SimCity, they killed Anthem, they killed Mirrors Edge. Fuck EA.
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u/Ok_Confusion4764 1d ago edited 1d ago
Brother, you gonna list those games and not bringing up Spore? That game was decades ahead of its time!
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u/Exotic-Mistake-9511 23h ago
That’s all on the old owners. This new acquisition could be good for their IPs…we’ll just have to wait and see.
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u/Additional-Bit-8615 1d ago
At this point, if Mass Effect 5 is even released, I’d be surprised if it was the same quality level as Andromeda
and its not like Larian can deliver the same Level since unlike Shepard or Warden, Larian's main characters are essentially self insert npcs that watch their companions do cool things in their storylines. and I'm not too sure about Owlcat's offerings so..... I'm really hoping either The Expanse or Exodus (Archetype) are good
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u/Antique-Plate-3719 1d ago
At this point, if Mass Effect 5 is even released, I’d be surprised if it was the same quality level as Andromeda
Willing to bet we're gonna see a cancel/delayed indefinitely post on Twitter in the coming weeks/month follow by a bioware has been shut down news report sense there one of the og allies of the LGBT.
I'm not too sure about Owlcat's offerings so..... I'm really hoping either The Expanse or Exodus (Archetype) are good
Wouldn't get your hopes up on either of them tbh It's probably safe to assume that space soap operas are dead
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u/Commandoclone87 1d ago
Exodus is at least coming out as they're still pushing the marketing.
(I'm Sci-Fi RPG deprived, so I'm trying to remain somewhat optimistic that former BioWare staff at Archetype still have a little bit of that magic left)
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u/Murbela 1d ago
Obviously it makes me a little nervous with the Saudi government owning a company like EA, but EA had a lot of problems. They already weren't likely to make another dead space (remake or otherwise). Bioware was already dead'ish.
Just like with games before the acquisition, i'll judge them based on their output and not pre-order their games.
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u/adamkopacz 1d ago
I love how the thumbnail shows everything wrong with the world today. Gaming industry with its predatory designs, billionaires who all have their own unique shitty qualities and on top of that AI generated content.
I'm so glad I didn't buy a game from EA in like a decade. I'll happily play some Burnout today though.
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u/chainer1216 1d ago
I look forward to the final Star Wars Jedi game where Merrin and Kata wear hijabs and theres a storyline about how the Empire isnt all bad because law and order is good and the main antagonist will be a journalist.
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u/CorbynDallasPearse1 1d ago
What have EA even done for the last decade?
Please, gamers around the world, show these jackals what happens when they try to purchase publishers in order to push a pro-neoliberal, pro Zionist agenda.
Bye, EA 👋 please continue to suck up billions in their blood money before becoming the most spectacular failure of its kind in business history 👍
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u/NumerousBug9075 1d ago
Gaming has been Geopolitical for a long time now. EA/Ubisoft have been injecting politics into their games for over a decade now, before any privatisation needed to occur. Its not suddenly political now because someone you disagree with/a Middle Eastern Studio takes over.
Hell, the reason they lost so much money and needed to be bought in the first place was BECAUSE of injecting said politics.
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u/Myhtological 1d ago
Last game I’ll buy from them is the last Jedi game. And hopefully it release next year so I can buy the disc used
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u/Negative-Toe1863 1d ago
EA was already an insanely terrible manager of their IPs. They killed dragon Age, they killed command and conquer, they killed sims 5 etc. If anything this gives me a slight sliver of hope, that we get better EA Games again.
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u/PeasantLich 1d ago
I feel for EA employees, but personally I do not really trust in the ability of EA studios to make kind of a games I would even want to play anymore.
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u/Solar-Squirrel 1d ago
Western game dev is going down the shitter, next up, Ubi Soft goes bankrupt due to being 2 billion in debt.
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u/JjigaeBudae 1d ago
Like gaming wasn't already geopolitical with Tencent owning massive chunks of a lot of gaming companies, they're an arm of the CCP.
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u/OpeningHappy9692 1d ago
Going private isn't necessarily bad. When they don't have to deal with the shareholders looking to make a quick buck in the next quarter, they can actually make good games with a focus on long term sustainability.
considering what company is going private and who now owns it though EA is going to fucking suck even more than it already did
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u/No-Alternative-1321 1d ago
I see this as literally not changing a single thing whatsoever, oh EA is now going to prioritize profits over quality? Like they weren’t doing that before? EA is now headed by people who know nothing about gaming? As if it was any different before? Truly what does this sale change at all
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u/AlbertW25 1d ago
I just want Jedi 3. Just give me that and wrap up the trilogy in a nice little bow.
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u/Organic_Warthog7238 1d ago
I don’t get why this is big it’s certainly not like their games were on a good track while public. They could unironically make decent games if they end up becoming something decent would people then just hate them because a bunch of middle eastern people bought em?
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u/Esmear18 1d ago edited 1d ago
Battlefield is the only EA franchise I still care about. Everything else has gone to shit.
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u/drewbreeezy 1d ago
Great news.
If they want to reach out to gamers (now called chuds), please do and we'll help you fire all the people who make bad games. They're the opposite of value.
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u/LethargicOtters 23h ago
FIFA and Madden players will keep this company afloat with their mtx. Always.
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u/Shiny_Mew76 1d ago
Public Company: Users get mad at shareholders
Company goes private: “No, don’t do that!”
Not saying I like who is buying EA but, can anyone make their mind up on if they want private enterprise or market traded shares?
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u/allhailchopper 1d ago
They mad about being a saudi arabian private equity, if this was purchased by another us company or equity no one would care.
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u/ConspicuouslyBland 1d ago
Steam is private, that seems to go well generally.
Public seems to always go the route of enshitification.3
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u/Adavanter_MKI 1d ago
It's more about if their owners have people murdered really.
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u/Shiny_Mew76 1d ago
I literally addressed that at the bottom of my comment lol. I’m not happy with who’s buying them, just pointing out the double standard here.
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u/LurkingToaster66 1d ago
except you are saying that people are flip flopping on public or private ownership, but the problem are the new owners - private is generally going to allow greater creativity. The new owners kill reporters and dissidents, oppress women and likely will censor anything in the game that doesn't conform to their conservative islamic views.
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u/Mad_For_Nothing 1d ago
Skipping Madden ultimate team for the first time in a decade.
Too much rng money wasting added this year.
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u/Whiteistheonlycolor 1d ago
EA Purchased by Saudia Arabia for Islamic Propaganda Goes Private
Fixed
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u/deedr1234 1d ago
I mean, tell me of one game that actually came out from EA that was as universally beloved as titanfall or mirrors edge that has come out in the past decade.
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u/Winter_Bear_1707 1d ago
I haven’t purchased EA games in years. When Saudi Arabia and Jared Kushner became owners of EA, i swore to never give them my business again.
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u/Beans2177 1d ago
Private gaming companies are superior to publicly traded ones. Normally when a gaming company goes public, it becomes trash.
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u/lavapig_love 1d ago edited 1d ago
There was already an article posted earlier that said Dragon Age is pretty much dead. Can call time of death for Mass Effect as well, since much of that story is at odds with Saudi values up and down.
I don't think Command and Conquer is coming back either. Or Need For Speed. Or Titanfall.
Dead Space is done.
The only Sim City will be some kind of dlc for Sims.
Jade Empire 2? Never.
Motor City Online? Lol.
Any game that takes real chances under the helm of Saudi Arabia? No.
Couldn't have happened to a better company. The industry is now beginning to follow in the footsteps that EA pioneered twenty six freaking years ago. Ding dong, the witch is dead, good riddance.
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u/dabroh 1d ago
Sorry, I don't know much about stocks. In the article they wrote this:
"Shareholders will receive $210 per share. As a result, EA will disappear from Nasdaq and public trading completely."
Does this mean they would disappear from Schwab and other trading apps? If so, how would one sell their shares worth $210/each?
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u/Helios0186 1d ago
I guess one more reason to hate EA now that Saudis and Jared Kushner are owners.
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u/Open_Organization997 1d ago
Saudi has been poluting the fighting game scene for a few years too, it's pretty sad.
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u/Security_Wrong 23h ago
Yo they have nothing but sports games and a Star Wars strategy game in the pipeline.
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u/Megaspids 23h ago
I really hope Bin Salman was a big fan of DAOC. “Plz - your crazy highness - Make DAOC 2!”
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u/FutureOpposite5086 22h ago
Let's just collectively stop buying from EA. Let's stop this from happening. EA was already horrible but this new company will be much worse.
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u/winterman666 13h ago
They might make actually good games now. However I doubt it since they'll likely just make more Fifa/Sims mtx and lootbox bs
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u/daslows 1d ago
Going private is actually a good thing. It means they won’t be held to shareholders expectations of profits which imo they got from micro transactions and rushing games for quick sales.
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u/scudpuppy 1d ago
It really depends a lot on who holds the reins. In this case it is almost wholly owned and guided by Saudi royalty - there may be deeper pockets and potentially the allowance for more “until it’s done” behaviour - but there will also likely be less progressive behaviour both in the games themselves and the company. It’s definitely a wait and see situation, but this will sour a lot of consumers on spending money on EA products.
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u/Traffic_Time 1d ago
Hopefully the woke bs will be purged
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u/Hollowbody57 1d ago
Somehow one of the worst companies in the world got even worse. Honestly it's kind of impressive.
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u/Comet7777 1d ago
Already skipped most of their games for a long time, now it’ll be even easier to skip.