Forty-six members of Congress have voiced their concerns to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, urging a thorough review.

Last year, Electronic Arts announced its intention to become a privately held company, with an investor consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Silver Lake planning a massive $55 billion buyout. The deal has already received shareholder approval, leaving regulatory clearance from global authorities, including the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as the final hurdle.

As the review process remains ongoing, it is still unclear whether the FTC will oppose or approve the acquisition. However, 46 members of the U.S. Congress have made it clear that they do not want the transaction to be finalized without an in-depth FTC investigation. In an open letter addressed to the FTC chair, signed by 46 Democratic lawmakers and led by Labor Caucus co-chairs Steven Horsford, Debbie Dingell, Mark Pocan, and Donald Norcross, the representatives outline serious concerns and formally request a comprehensive review.

“We are writing to express serious concerns regarding the proposed acquisition of Electronic Arts (EA) by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, and private equity firms Silver Lake and Affinity Partners. We are committed to preserving fair and competitive labor markets and safeguarding American jobs. Given the potential impact of this acquisition on workers, labor market concentration, and the long-term competitiveness of the U.S. video game industry, we urge you to thoroughly review this transaction.

We respectfully urge the Commission to conduct a thorough investigation into the labor market consequences of this proposed acquisition. This investigation should include an examination of EA’s existing wage-setting power, the likelihood of post-transaction layoffs, the degree of labor-market concentration in relevant geographic and occupational markets, and the role of cross-ownership in shaping labor outcomes. Workers deserve a fair, competitive marketplace where their skills are valued,” the letter states.

The lawmakers also reference the recent instability within the gaming industry, which has led to tens of thousands of job losses in recent years, including layoffs at Electronic Arts. They highlight the stark pay disparity between EA executives and average employees, noting that CEO Andrew Wilson earns roughly 260 times more than the company’s average worker.

Further concerns are raised over the acquisition’s financial structure, which would reportedly saddle EA with $20 billion in debt. According to the letter, this creates strong incentives for cost-cutting measures such as layoffs, offshoring, restructurings, or even studio closures.

The representatives also flag competition-related risks, arguing that the level of cross-ownership involved could lead to arbitrary favoritism and anti-competitive coordination across sports, sports-related talent markets, and sports gaming businesses. Such outcomes could restrict worker mobility and weaken employees’ bargaining power across the industry.

Finally, the letter suggests that, if approved, the merger could violate the FTC’s own antitrust standards, which are designed to prevent transactions that harm workers, suppress wages, and allow dominant firms to reduce labor demand.

Source: WCCFTech, Labor Caucus