If you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple of days, you’ll probably want to know that Electronic Arts (EA), one of the biggest publishers and developers of major franchises like Battlefield, the Star Wars Jedi IP, and the Sims, recently sold itself to the Saudi-backed Public Investment Fund (PIF) for a handsome sum of US$55 billion (~RM231 billion).
The sale of the company has clearly rattled the nerves of staff internally, none more so than those working at BioWare. Multiple sources, all of whom spoke to Insider Gaming under the condition of anonymity, voiced their concern and dissatisfaction, painting a gloomy picture over concerns of their future in the company.
“Look at the negativity that came after Dragon Age,” said one source. “If we felt it was only going to get worse then, you can imagine what some of us think now.”
Their fear isn’t unfounded. Back in January of this year, the studio was forced to retrench several staff members, after the long-awaited Dragon Age: The Veilguard did not meet the sales expectations of EA. While not entirely terrible to play, it drew a massive amount of controversy, mainly from the way the game allegedly tried to force feed a “woke” agenda to the masses.
While the EA sale is only expected to be finalised by the first quarter of 2027, some staff inside BioWare have already been preparing for what they believe may be the inevitable wave of layoffs. “I’ve been doing it since last year, but I’m making sure I have a portfolio ready and feelers out for other jobs,” one employee said. “Kind of feels like a matter of time.”
(Source: Insider Gaming)
