**TOPLINE:**
Corporate publishers have far too much power, but everyday gamers are fighting back to stop them. The Players Alliance is bringing gamers, devs, and creators together to inspire an industry that thrives on passion for gaming, affordability, and creative freedom.
Together, we can hold corporate publishers accountable and put a stop to their unfair consumer practices.
**PRIVATE EQUITY & SAUDI ARABIA’s EA BUYOUT**
● EA agreed to a $55B leveraged buyout (LBO) led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment
Fund (PIF) and a private equity firm led by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. This is
the largest LBO in history, giving Saudi royalty massive control of a key American
cultural industry.
● The buyout is financed by $20 billion in debt, which will increase pressure to cut costs
through layoffs, replace creative talent with AI, and close studios. It will also create an
incentive to nickel and dime gamers: more aggressive microtransactions,
gambling-like loot in sports games, pay-to-win models.
● Saudi royalty will have control over cultural decisions, potentially ending LGBTQ
visibility, strong women characters, or anything else the Saudi royal family personally
objects to. Monarchs from overseas will be able to expand their influence over millions
of Americans.
● Continuing its practice from “sportswashing,” or investing in sporting to improve
public image and distract attention away from human rights abuses, Saudi Arabia is
motivated to invest in gaming to “gamewash” and create further distraction away
from its human rights record.
● The Saudis and private equity expect a smooth, rubber stamp process. But they
underestimate gamers’ willingness to fight against ultra rich elites that are raising
prices and taking away our choices. By creating pressure and public scrutiny, we can
force regulators to block the deal altogether.
**AFFORDABILITY**
● **Main message**: We cannot allow gaming to become a luxury. Rising prices, even more
expensive consoles, and monetization-turned-paywalls are locking millions of gamers
out of the industry they helped build.
● Gaming is becoming harder to afford, and younger gamers especially have reduced
spending by 13%. Publishers have increased game prices up to $80. Xbox console
prices have risen to $650 and the PS5’s standard model to $550.
● Game prices are rising higher than inflation. Gamers today are paying up to 40% more
for similar titles they bought in 2013. This is even as digital sales lowered distribution
costs. US hardware sales dropped 25% year-over-year in 2025, and 63% of players buy
two or fewer new games per year. This is a reflection of frustration with rising costs.
● Microtransactions are driving spending beyond retail costs. For EA, this digital revenue
makes up for 73% of its total revenue. Gamers are now spending upwards $70/ month
because games are now built on a monetization model. Corporate publishers put the
full game experience behind monetization, making it much harder for us to avoid
additional spending.
**CONSUMER PROTECTIONS**
● **Main message**: Gamers deserve the same protections as any digital market.
Safeguards against unfair practices, the right to own what they buy, and honest and
transparent pricing. Corporate publishers are putting basic consumer rights at risk.
● Our consumer rights are fading. Corporate publishers’ predatory practices—loot boxes
with gambling mechanics, pay-to-win, battle passes—are marketed as optional but
are increasingly required for full game functionality. This practice has drawn regulatory
scrutiny from the EU, but consumer protections in the US are ignored.
● Private equity benefits from political partisanship at the cost of US consumer interests.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s firm, Affinity Partners, is a principal beneficiary
from the EA buyout. His close relationship with the administration threatens to turn
the government’s regulator role into a rubber stamp process, overlooking potential
harms to US consumers
Sign and Share so we can Block the EA Deal
EA’s $55 billion buyout will give foreign investors and Private Equity massive control over gaming and turn the worst anti-consumer practic
