Longtime gamers and members of Players Alliance HQ gathered outside of Electronic Art’s Orlando office to hold an EA Funeral as a Buyout Protest, drawing attention to the looming ownership changes with EA and all of its franchises to a group of investors including Jared Kushner, the Saudia Arabian PIF (Public Investment Fund), and Silver Lake.

Peaceful protestors donned black clothing and carried a casket, faux headstones, signs, and a scroll of signed names to a petition to stop the EA buyout, on the heels of the organization of a newer UK-centric spinoff campaign called Block the EA Deal was launched. This is a sister campaign to the initial Block the EA Deal campaign that launched in the United States in 2025, and is one of the primary campaigns that plan and organize the recent EA Funeral Buyout Protests, like the EA Raid Protest held in May 2026.

Recently Launched: Block the EA Deal United Kingdom Campaign

This campaign hopes to bring attention to the EA buyout to the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA, a regulatory agency in the UK) and the UK Government regarding what this buyout could mean for the UK economy and the possible significant loss of jobs, should the buyout not be blocked.

Press Release from Players Alliance HQ

In Orlando, Gamers Stage Funeral for EA Denouncing $55 Billion Buyout

Orlando, FL — Outside of Electronic Arts’ (EA) Orlando office, Members of the Players Alliance HQ staged a funeral-themed rally opposing the proposed $55 billion buyout of the company by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, and Silver Lake.

Dressed in funeral attire and carrying a casket, gravestones, flowers, and a 50-foot petition scroll signed by more than 70,000 gamers, participants mourned what they say would be the consequences of the deal, including studio closures, rising costs, AI-driven layoffs, and threats to creative freedom in gaming.  Gamers pointed to EA’s history of studio closures, rising prices and the growing unaffordability of gaming, the increased use of AI to cut developer jobs, and concerns that the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s proposed 93.4% ownership stake could give it unprecedented influence over creative decisions at one of the U.S.’s largest gaming studios, including games like The Sims which have long been recognized for inclusive storytelling and representation.

At the rally, gamers called on federal regulators to block the buyout, warning that saddling EA with $20 billion in private equity debt would accelerate the industry’s shift toward anti-consumer practices and exploitative monetization.

Background on the Campaign to Block the EA Deal

Players Alliance HQ launched its campaign to block the proposed EA buyout in 2025, and has since recruited more than 2,500 Discord members, collected over 70,000 petition signatures, and hosted a Twitch stream featuring Rep. Maxwell Frost and prominent streamer, lilsimsie. The campaign has organized actions in Washington, DC, Redwood City, and Orlando, with additional cities planned, and inspired a new UK spinoff campaign, Block the EA Deal UK. See coverage on the campaign by The LA Times and PC Gamer.

To view photos from the action, visit the SimsCommunity website.