EA lays off Battlefield staff ahead of $55 billion buyout deal, despite record franchise sales

EA is laying off even more workers as the company prepares to be taken private in a $55 billion deal principally funded by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.

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EA has already laid off multiple developers across its Battlefield teams, with job eliminations affecting all studios who work on the franchise including DICE, Ripple Effect, Motive Studios, and Criterion.

"We've made select changes within our Battlefield organization to better align our teams around what matters most to our community. Battlefield remains one of our biggest priorities, and we're continuing to invest in the franchise, guided by player feedback and insights from Battlefield Labs," EA said in a statement to IGN.

Just months ago in October, EA had triumphantly announced that Battlefield 6 had become the fastest-selling game in the entire franchise with 7 million copies sold in 3 days. This momentum may not have continued post-launch, potentially triggering cost-cutting measures at corporate, however EA is also facing major changes behind the scenes as the company prepares to be taken under private ownership.

EA's shareholders approved a $55 billion buyout deal that would see a trio of investors purchasing all EA stock and then taking the company private. It's since been revealed that most of the funding for the buyout is from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), and will be managed by the Saudi-backed Savvy Games Group.

This entity has since grown to become one of the biggest forces in gaming, with multiple billion-dollar stakes in groups like Nintendo, as well as full ownership of heavy-hitting groups like Monopoly Go's billion-dollar earner, Scopely.

Following the EA deal, Savvy Games Group will have made 3 out of the 4 top video game acquisitions of all time.