The $55 billion buyout of EA by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia has gained the attention of a cosplay group who plan to march on EA’s Redwood City headquarters and protest the deal. The group, called Players Alliance HQ, revealed on social media what they plan to do once they arrive on the EA campus.
In September 2025, EA confirmed it would go private amid a pending $55 billion buyout by a consortium group consisting of the PIF, Affinity Partners, and Silver Lake. Affinity Partners is an investment firm which has previously received funding from the Saudi Arabian government, and is led by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. However, the leveraged buyout has drawn scrutiny from various groups, and is still subject to regulatory approval by the US government and similar entities.
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EA’s Redwood City Campus Will Be The Site of a Protest ‘Raid’
Despite EA’s efforts to quell concerns from its player base, that has not stopped protests against the deal from emerging. One such protest group, called Players Alliance HQ, stated that it would “raid” EA’s main campus in Redwood City, California, to deliver a petition in the hopes of blocking the deal. Players Alliance HQ said its protest would begin on Monday, May 11, at 11:00 AM Pacific. Content creator SlayerKase revealed via an Instagram post what Players Alliance HQ will do once they arrive at EA’s Redwood City headquarters. SlayerKase stated that the protesters plan to unfurl a 50-foot scroll containing over 70,000 signatures as a petition to block the EA buyout. The scroll would be unfurled at the Madden NFL football field on the EA campus.
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Given that Players Alliance HQ is a cosplay group, the protesters plan to show up in various outfits that depict the corporate infrastructure of EA as villains. SlayerKase said he planned to attend and stream the protest on his Twitch channel. Sims 4 content creator and Twitch partner Zefrine stated in a separate Instagram post that she would also stream her point-of-view of the EA protest in-person. Players Alliance HQ claimed via its mission statement that EA CEO Andrew Wilson was “paid 260 times more than the median EA worker, while the company laid off thousands of developers.” Players Alliance HQ also expressed concerns that EA’s shutdown of various game servers, and continued use of loot boxes in its modern titles, are robbing consumers of their games and their money.
EA’s Deal Is Far From Finished
However, Players Alliance HQ is not the only group to protest against EA’s pending buyout. US House Representative Maxwell Frost (D-FL) joined Zefrine and former EA Creator Network member Lilsimsie in a livestream to protest the EA buyout and raise awareness for their audiences. Frost is currently the youngest member of the United States Congress at age 29, and is also a member of the US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
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In late 2025, two members of the United States Senate also raised national security concerns about the EA buyout. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) stated that EA’s buyout would allow the PIF to use its position to gain influence and potential access to sensitive data on EA’s audience in the US and across the globe. In short, EA’s deal with the PIF is far from done.
Source: GameSpot
