It’s bigger than gaming: Why the FTC shouldn’t rubber-stamp the EA buyout

A few weeks before federal regulators are expected to make a decision on the proposed $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, EA announced another round of layoffs affecting employees in customer support, trust and safety, recruitment and information technology. The European Union’s regulators are expected to finalize the terms of the deal sometime this week. U.S. regulators are likely coming close to their own decision. In the gaming industry, it has become an increasingly familiar story. Thousands of game developers, artists, engineers, quality assurance workers and support staff have lost their jobs as publishers have consolidated, reorganized and searched for new ways to improve margins. The latest cuts at