Tag Archives: electronic arts

Jared Kushner and Saudi Arabia team to Buy Electronic Arts for $55 billion

Electronic Arts logo

There’s a new reason to avoid Electronic Arts, as the video game maker behind Madden, Battlefield, and The Sims is being acquired for $52.5 billion, $55 billion if debt is included. The purchasers are Silver Lake Partners, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF, and Affinity Partners. Affinity Partners is run by President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

EA stockholders will receive $210 per share in the buyout. PIF is the largest insider stakeholder in EA and is rolling over its existing 9.9%.

The Saudi PIF has been investing in the video game market since 2022 with minority stakes in numerous companies. They are an investor in Nintendo as an example.

The deal will end EA’s 36-year history as a publicly traded company that began trading with its shares ending its first day of trading at a split-adjusted 52 cents.

The IPO began seven years after it was founded. Andrew Wilson has led the company as CEO since 2013 and will remain in that role.

One of the partners in this, Silver Lake, is also part of the TikTok takeover deal that’s headed by Oracle.

EA’s annual revenue has been about $7.6 billion for the last three fiscal years, with little change.

As the son-in-law to President Trump, Kushner has been a part of numerous horrible policies including the much discussed redevelopment of Gaza by Trump. Under the first term, Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump reported between $172 million and $640 million outside income while they served in unpaid roles un the White House. Affinity Partners received billions of dollars from Middle Eastern investors, including $2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s PIF six months after he left the White House.

Saudi Arabia is regularly accused of attempting to wash away the criticism of the regime over human rights abuses, funding of terrorism, and recently the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The PIF invested $1 billion in Embracer Group, the owner of Dark Horse among numerous other geeky things. A rumored larger investment in Embracer fell through.

SAG-AFTRA and Video Game Employers Reach a Tentative Agreement on Interactive Media Contract. National Board to Review

SAG-Aftra Interactive Media Agreement

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the signatory video game companies, which include Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Epic Games Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Take 2 Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc. have reached a tentative agreement on terms for the Interactive Media Contract, subject to review and approval by the National Board and ratification by the membership in the coming weeks. Specific details of the agreement will be released with the ratification materials.

It is expected the terms of a strike suspension agreement will be finalized with employers soon. Until such agreement is reached, however, SAG-AFTRA members will remain on strike against these employers.

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said:

Everyone at SAG-AFTRA is immensely grateful for the sacrifices made by video game performers and the dedication of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee throughout these many months of the video game strike. Patience and persistence has resulted in a deal that puts in place the necessary A.I. guardrails that defend performers’ livelihoods in the A.I. age, alongside other important gains. Thank you, Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Chair Sarah Elmaleh and Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez for your hard work and advocacy in pursuit of this contract.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher stated:

Our video game performers stood strong against the biggest employers in one of the world’s most lucrative industries. Their incredible courage and persistence, combined with the tireless work of our negotiating committee, has at last secured a deal. The needle has been moved forward and we are much better off than before. As soon as this is ratified we roll up our sleeves and begin to plan the next negotiation. Every contract is a work in progress and progress is the name of the game.

SAG-AFTRA members have been on strike against video game employers since July 26, 2024. Prior to that, SAG-AFTRA members approved a video game strike authorization in September 2023 with a 98.32% yes vote.

Electronic Arts cancels its Black Panther game and shuts down Cliffhanger Games

Electronic Arts has cancelled the Black Panther video game that had been announced in 2023 and shutdown the studio behind it, Cliffhanger Games. EA is making other layoffs across other team though specifics are unknown at the time.

The game was revealed, along with the Cliffhanger studio based in Seattle, in July 2023 and was described then as an original, third-person, single-player video game in collaboration with Marvel Games.

The cancellation was announced to employees through an email sent by EA Entertainment and Technology president Laura Miele, according to the report.

The reason given is that Electronic Arts will focus more on other games where they think they have the “most significant growth opportunities.” That means expect more Battlefield, The Sims, Star Wars, Mass Effect, and Apex Legends. Interestingly, EA will continue to work on the Iron Man game that was announced in 2022.

This continues mass layoffs that have hit the video game industry this year. EA laid off between 300 and 400 employees cancelling other projects less than a month ago as just three months after it made significant cuts to BioWare.

The classic Dead Space videogame graphic novels come to Titan Comics in 2025!

Titan Comics has announced that the long out of print, beloved graphic novels based on Electronic Arts’ classic sci-fi horror video game, Dead Space, is being re-released in March 2025. Set in the Dead Space universe, the graphic novels are illustrated and written by award-winning writer Antony Johnston with art from macabre legend, Ben Templesmith

Dead Space is an original horror intellectual property that quickly won over critics worldwide with its stunning visuals, spine-tingling gameplay and horrifying creatures. The award-winning game has been heralded as “…one of the best survival horror experiences ever created,” from GamePro and Game Informer quotes, “No game has ever been this frightening.”. 

Dead Space, Dead Space: Liberation, and Dead Space: Salvage, was originally launched by IDW in 2008 to coincide with the release of the video game, Dead Space 3. Reprinted again by Titan Comics, the trilogy is set to hit shelves again next year with the first volume going on sale March 2025. 

For old and new fans, journey back into the horrific darkness of space as the mutated dead rise to feast on humanity, while the Church of Unitology plots the extinction of mankind…

When P-SEC Sgt. Abraham Neumann encounters a reanimated corpse, he fights off wave after wave with one goal in mind: Survival. After the discovery of an Alien artefact prompts mysterious incidents to occur, the colony is shaken through psychological and vicious threats that break down their security. With the Church of Unitology slowly moving to awaken the Marker and push humanity to extinction. The onslaught grows as a gruesome undertaking takes place.

Dead Space Vol. 1 hits bookstores and comic shops, March 11, 2025. Pre-order at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million and Forbidden Planet for UK.

The Galaxy Awaits in The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Dark Horse Books, Lucasfilm Ltd., Respawn Entertainment, and Electronic Arts present The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The new book, which was created in close collaboration between the four companies, is a full-color, oversized hardcover volume that captures the design process of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a galaxy-spanning, action-adventure video game from Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts arriving later this year.

The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will guide readers through Cal Kestis’ perilous and heroic journey across the galaxy in an attempt to rebuild the Jedi Order as he learns the ways of the Force, travels to exotic worlds, and battles tyrannical foes. This uniquely designed work is sure to thrill dedicated Star Wars fans and gamers alike.With detailed concept art of all-new characters, exciting equipment, and locales both familiar and new, this tome offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of a highly anticipated video game—all accompanied by intimate artists’ commentary that reveal how this incredible galaxy is brought together.

The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order goes on sale November 19, 2019.

The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Around the Tubes

killorbekilled04-coverThe weekend is almost here! Saturday is Local Comic Book Day, so head to your local comic shop and help support them!

While you count down the hours until then, there’s some comic news and reviews from around the web in our morning roundup.

Around the Tubes

Kotaku – EA Requires YouTubers And Streamers To Put Labels On Sponsored Videos – No, it’s not murky. It’s actually quite clear.

 

Around the Tubes Reviews

Nothing But Comics – Kill or Be Killed #4

ICv2 – Sp4rx

Talking Comics – Uncanny Avengers #16

Dark Horse Delivers Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare Series

Blooming out of the worldwide success—over one million copies sold!—of Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon, Plants vs. Zombies: Timepocalypse, and the new Plants vs. Zombies ongoing series comes a new comic masterpiece, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare!

In the first Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare video game from Electronic Arts, Dr. Zomboss and his legions of zombie minions attacked the lush plant utopia of Suburbia. In the recently announced Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2, zombies have taken over, and now, for the first time in franchise history, the plants are on the attack. Delivering a story taking place between Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare and Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2, the Garden Warfare comic has the exclusive reveal of how Dr. Zomboss conquered Suburbia. The evil-genius leader is up to a whole new set of tricks—and this time, he’s succeeding, thanks to his mighty Imp and Z-Mech! But hope remains, as our zombie-battling champs Nate and Patrice discover horticultural help from the future and the past, and Crazy Dave misses out on an ice-cream cruise!

Written by Eisner-winning comic genius Paul Tobin with art by artistic wunderkind Jacob Chabot, this series that takes PVZ and you on a highway to the danger zone of awesome fun hits the stands on October 28, 2015!

PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES GARDEN WARFARE

EA E3 Press Event – Live Update and Reacti

Welcome back, dear readers. It is almost time for the Electronic Arts E3 2015 press event. Expect to hear more about EA Access, all the upcoming EA Sports titles, Star Wars: Battlefront, and more. Peter Moore and company will show us what one of the largest publishers has in store.

This page will not automatically refresh. I will put the latest update at the top of the list, so if you join us late, scroll down. Here is the full E3 coverage schedule, so stick with us.


Update 15: We get our first look at game play for Battlefront. It looks like Battlefield with a Star Wars skin on it. We did get Skywalker and Vader fighting on Hoth, but it is unclear who gets to be those characters as opposed to just being grunts. I want this game to be good, but I’m pretty sure it cannot live up to its hype. Well, that is all for EA. I guess the Mass Effect teaser counted as one of the promised 3 new IPs? We knew it existed, but now it has a name? I’d give this presser a C as well. Nothing really groundbreaking again. There certainly were some neat features and games, but I’m not coming away feeling I know a ton more about any of them. Oh well, break time, and then it is on to Ubisoft!

Update 14: Okay, I lost the feed for a bit, but it is back now, and we are talking about Star Wars Battlefront.

Update 13: Madden time. The intro movie focused on the Patriots, which is an interesting decision right now. Madden 16 will have a mode called Draft Champions in which you build a team of current players. It is a mode for Ultimate team. You get three options for each round. Then you can play as your team in a mini-season. They’ve overhauled the passing game….and we’re having some technical difficulties, please stand by.

Update 12: Mirror’s Edge time. The new game is not a sequel. It is called Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst but we still follow Faith. In fact, it is her origin story. The environments look phenomenal. It is first-person, but it is open world free roaming. No levels or loading. Release February 23.

Update 11: Okay, on to FIFA 16. More focus on defense and mid-field play. More motion capture of Messi for better dribbling off the ball. Women’s teams make their debut this year. That is a ton of models in this game. Also, FIFA 15 players will get Pele and Messi in their ultimate team accounts.

Update 10: Pele comes to the stage. He tells a story about coining the phrase “the beautiful game” in relation to football. While I like Pele, this is showing the danger of bringing someone bigger than gaming to the stage. His stories are great, I would watch a 30 for 30 of nothing but him telling stories, but we are here for video games and this is making the presentation lose steam.

Update 9: Let’s talk about mobile. Good news everyone! You can control your FIFA Ultimate Team auctions from you Apple Watch. A new Star Wars digital CCG coming. Also, the Minions are getting their own mobile game. It is a building/resource management game. You are on a tropical island and have to build a paradise with lots of mini-game like activities. Oh boy. Look for Minions Paradise later this year. Okay, FIFA time, and Pele is going to tell us why it is rad.

Update 8: Time to turn to sports. Starting with NHL 16. Do you like hockey video games? Well, here is the one that is available. It looks good, but EA is good at good looking, they aren’t always good at making a great game. Rory MacIlroy PGA Tour will be the first game using the new Frostbite engine in the sports. They promise no load time between holes. All the games with have contextual hints in modes to help improve your playing ability. NBA Live 16 is reintroducing Game Face HD face scanning technology through an app. It looks pretty good this time. Also, we can “up your swag” through the game. I don’t think they are talking about playing as Swaggy P. Look, you can play basketball in this basketball video game with new controls that change the game by making it more like the game.

Update 7: Solo play and local split-screen available. Also, players of the first game can transfer their characters into the new game. Now they are promising free content updates following launch. So maybe EA is learning.

Update 6: The guy on stage wants us to clap for a guy in a zombie suit from Plants vs. Zombies. The crowd is not so interested in that. We’re going to get a live game-play demo. I’m sure this will be amazing…or, you know, not. There is very little here that interests me. Third-person shooter/tower defense is not a genre that appeals to me. Though, EA claims over six million people played the first one, so I guess it works for a lot of people.

Update 5: New IP time. First up, Unravel. You play a tiny creature called Yarny made of yarn. Yarny looks like a cross between an Ugly Doll and Chibi-Robo. It is a puzzle platformer about connections between people. As Yarny moves through the level, he leaves a trail of yarn behind and uses the yarn to navigate the environment. The trailer had me smiling the entire time. It looks really cute.

Update 4: Star Wars the Old Republic is getting a story driven expansion: Knights of the Fallen Empire coming out October 27th. New worlds, new companions, and shaping the world through the choices. It is free to all subscribers. They show a pretty CGI trailer, which as always looks awesome.

Update 3: Need for Speed returns. More street racing, more cop chases. The title is simply Need for Speed. They are trying to pull the best elements from the past 20 years into one package. It is using the latest Frostbite engine. Five modes to capture all of the elements. You can specialize or switch between. Coming Nov. 3rd. It looks like another Need for Speed.

Update 2: Promise of 3 brand new IPs, a sports legend, Mirror’s Edge, and Star Wars. That is a pretty solid line-up for the show.

Update 1: Here we go. Opening with Mass Effect teaser!!! Woo! Exploration jet pack, Mako 2.0, and massive exploration. We also get a name Andromeda, but we don’t get it until Q4 2016.

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