Podcasts about Electronic Arts

Whoa hey whoa, we've missed a few weeks because of travel, we get into it, so we have a ton of topics! Lot of new gameplay on our end, Hades 2 is popping off, Eric is doing his best to juggle several games, and our trips have us thinking about pop culture discourse. It's too much to list, really!Check it out!Explicit language on this one."Vampithrillic" (Just Coffee - https://http://ocremix.org/)Find the show on iTunes, Google Play Podcasts, Spotify, and Simplecast.fmFind the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6QoHk8iEsVGTpd2qdTlH-gFollow us @CharacterReveal on Bluesky, Instagram, and on Facebook!Dom is @brothadom on Bluesky, tweets, tumbles and generally on the netSteph is @captainsteph on Bluesky and Twitter, @hella_steph on Instagram, and @thesnowqueer on TumblrEric is @TindiLosi on some places on the internet as a whole, like BlueskyFind everything at: https://linktr.ee/characterreveal

Private equity firms are poised to take over iconic video game maker Electronic Arts in a massive leveraged buyout. What happens when private equity owns the games you play.

APAC stocks failed to sustain the momentum from the record highs on Wall St and were mostly subdued.US President Trump and Japanese PM Takaichi signed an agreement on the US-Japan alliance and framework for securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths.European equity futures indicate a lower cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 future down 0.2% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.6% on Monday.DXY is net negative amid gains in the JPY with USD/JPY slipping below the 152 mark post-Trump and Takaichi meeting.Global fixed income markets are broadly firmer. Crude has struggled for direction following the prior day's choppy performance.Looking ahead, highlights include German GfK (Nov), Richmond Fed (Oct), CaseShiller Home Prices (Aug), Consumer Confidence (Oct), ECB SCE (Sept), RBNZ's Richardson, Supply from Italy, UK, Germany & US.Earnings from Visa, Electronic Arts, PPG Industries, UnitedHealth, SoFi, PayPal, UPS, DR Horton, VF Corp, HSBC, BNP Paribas, Novartis, Logitech, Iberdrola & ASM International.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

US President Trump and Japanese PM Takaichi signed an agreement on the US-Japan alliance and framework for securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths.European bourses are mostly lower; ES/NQ are flat, whilst the RTY is marginally lower ahead of a slew of earnings.USD flat/lower, JPY boosted on US-Japan trade developments and mild haven allure; GBP lags a touch.Bonds are firmer given the risk tone; USTs await supply.XAU briefly dipped under USD 3.9k/oz with base metals also broadly in the red; crude complex lower with some focus on reports that OPEC+ is looking at another oil production hike.Looking ahead, US Richmond Fed (Oct), US CaseShiller Home Prices (Aug), US Consumer Confidence (Oct), Supply from the US.Earnings from Visa, Electronic Arts, PPG Industries, SoFi, PayPal.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

The show is not dead! We are back after a long hiatus to catch up on all things video games. Nothing happened while we were gone right? Definitely not the case as Halo comes to PlayStation, Electronic Arts goes private and Nick reviews Ghost of Yotei. So much to catch up on that you better strap in. It is good to be back. Thanks for listening! Intro: Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater 7 Things: - Xbox Game Pass Price Increase - Xbox Teases Next Gen Console - Halo: Campaign Evolved - Electronic Arts Going Private - Ghost of Yotei - Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater - Kojima Productions 10th Anniversary Questions or comments? Please send emails to BetweenTheJoysticks@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter @JoysticksPod Subscribe to us on Youtube @BetweenTheJoysticks

With Xbox's famous ringworld officially arriving on PlayStation 5 in 2026, we can rest assured that Sony's longtime rival has finally conceded the console space for good. Halo: Campaign Evolved -- clever! -- is a ground-up remake of the smash-hit 2001 Xbox launch title, and it comes with some new bells and whistles, including fresh content and a four-player online-enabled campaign. Microsoft even trotted Halo's community manager out in a PlayStation shirt, promised all upcoming Halo content is Sony-bound, and yielded perhaps their last meaningful franchise to the competition. This gives us much to discuss! Plus: Helldivers 2 dev Arrowhead begins work on its next project, Horizon's live-action movie is slated to film next year and launch in '27, Resident Evil 0 Remake rumors are percolating, we may be waiting a while longer for Starfield's PS5 debut, Electronic Arts scores a renewed deal with the NFL to continue the Madden franchise, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Why does anyone care about Photo Mode? What's our dream PowerWash Simulator 2 DLC? Is it okay to play a game without delving into its greater meaning and themes? Will Chris ever return from New York? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:42:57 - RIP Sam Rivers0:44:41 - buttrock and rap metal0:54:36 - Couple vs few0:58:55 - Keep on keeping on Thomas1:03:48 - PSN Profiles issuers?1:12:16 - Halo is coming to PS51:54:28 - Arrowhead is hiring for a new game?2:01:24 - Updates on the Horizon film2:09:25 - Resident Evil 0 remake rumors2:14:37 - Starfield announcement for PS5 next year2:23:12 - EA NFL renewal2:28:25 - Ex-AC lead claims he didn't step down2:33:46 - Remedy CEO steps down2:37:22 - New sales data3:07:02 - What We're Playing (Ghost of Yotei, Ninja Gaiden 4, Ball x Pit)3:21:03 - How's our media literacy?3:29:03 - Dream DLC for Power Wash Simulator?3:32:17 - Updates with trophies3:36:11 - Photo mode is free marketing?3:40:06 - Sony's PC strategy with Xbox's PC push3:45:59 - Soundbar recommendations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Een consortium van Saudische en Amerikaanse investeerders haalde deze maand de grote gameproducent Electronic Arts voor 55 miljard dollar van de beurs. Verwacht wordt dat wereldwijd EA duizenden werknemers zal vervangen door AI. Sebastien Marien van Trends duidt wat er speelt en of we ons in Vlaanderen ook zorgen moeten maken. In Trends podcasts vind je alle podcasts van Trends en Trends Z, netjes geordend volgens publicatie.  De redactie van Trends brengt u verschillende podcasts over wat onze wereld en maatschappij beheerst.  Vanuit diverse invalshoeken en met een uitgesproken focus op economie en ondernemingen, op business, personal finance en beleggen.  Onafhankelijk, relevant, telkens constructief en toekomstgericht.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

October 22, 2025: In this episode of Future Ready Today, Jacob Morgan unpacks five powerful stories defining the next era of leadership and work: 1️⃣ Amazon's 600,000 Robots – A leaked roadmap shows how automation will replace or reconfigure hundreds of thousands of jobs, raising urgent questions about reskilling and purpose. 2️⃣ OpenAI's New Browser “Atlas” – The company behind ChatGPT is reimagining web navigation with built-in reasoning. For HR, it signals how internal AI layers could soon connect every system and agent inside organizations. 3️⃣ Global Petition to Ban AI Superintelligence – Over 3,000 global figures, from Richard Branson to Steve Bannon, call for limits on AI's cognitive reach. 4️⃣ Gartner's Report on HR Resilience – The top priorities for CHROs in 2025 include embedding adaptability into culture and responsibly operationalizing AI. 5️⃣ The AI Rebellion Inside Electronic Arts – Employees are pushing back on AI mandates they don't trust, revealing the widening gap between leadership enthusiasm and workforce skepticism.

Note: We had audio issues with this podcast. You may hear a low buzzing sound. We had a card reader interfering with our camera and therefore the audio is not our normal quality. We will check more closely next time!---Battlefield 6 is back! We are thrilled that Battlefield is back and that it seems to be delivering a quality experience out of the box. We're having a blast with multiplayer finding the game truly delivers on those Battlefield moments, while tightening gameplay fixing a lot of the issues people had with Battlefield 2042. We also try the campaign and talk about our limited time with Battlefield Portal.Austin beats Borderlands 4 and talks about the ending (no spoilers) as well as what happens in the end game. Is it worth playing through to the end to grind at the end or does it leave much to be desired?Jason beats Ghost of Yōtei after 60 hours of game time. He loved the game and enjoyed playing through but the question remains...does it outshine Ghost of Tsushima or does it fail to hit the mark? Listen to find out!Brett jumps into the server slam for Arc Raiders. Arc Raiders is a new extraction shooter from Embark Studios, creators of The Finals. This game feels very different but has the same level of polish The Finals had that has Brett excited to visit this world. The game is very challenging but this time jumping in with random people made it a bit more approachable. The game releases Oct 30th and Brett will definitely be diving in!Lastly, we have a unique conversation about credit card companies. News has recently cropped up about Visa and Mastercard stepping into the moderation game by blocking usage of their platform for certain platforms basically if they don't comply with their rules. We don't think credit card companies should turn to moderation, that's not their responsibility. It's happening and we fear this is a slippery slope for them being able to block more things if it doesn't align with them. Show Notes:1:13 - Housekeeping3:35 - Battlefield 6 Early Review: Campaign, Multiplayer and Portal44:53 - Borderlands 4 Endgame1:06:13 - Ghost of Yōtei Full Review1:23:49 - Arc Raiders: The Next Big Extraction Shooter?1:53:36 - Can Credit Card Companies Moderate Our Games?2:18:34 - Upcoming Video Game Releases Become a part of the conversation! If you donate $1 or more on Patreon you can get exclusive access to the Patreon-only chat and channels on the server. Visit our website to find our social channels, check past podcasts and donate to the show.Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all of our latest videos as they drop. Credits:"Blue Groove Deluxe" by BlueFoxMusic on audiojungle.netWoman Announcer - Ariana Guerra; Actress"Wisdom" by Super Nostalgia 64

This week's GameBurst podcast dives into the big talking points shaping the video game landscape. We dissect the phenomenal, yet technically troubled, launch of Battlefield 6, which has smashed sales records despite widespread player complaints about bugs and exploits. The conversation then pivots to the origins of its rival, as industry veteran Vince Zampella makes the provocative claim that Call of Duty only came into existence due to poor management at Electronic Arts. We also mourn the loss of a design titan, Tomonobu Itagaki, the acclaimed creator of the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden series. The crew looks at the newly confirmed, horror-heavy PlayStation Plus line-up, the enduring debate over the $100 price tag for Grand Theft Auto 6, and the persistent rumours of a 2027 launch for the next generation of consoles, the PS6 and the new Xbox. Finally, our picks of the week span the nostalgic return of Yooka-Replaylee, the mythological intensity of Hades 2, and the feudal intrigue of Ghost of Yotei. Listen now to catch all the news and debate. #gameburst

Battlefield 6 ist endlich da und wir haben schon Dutzende Stunden gespielt. Im Podcast diskutieren wir darüber, wobei der Shooter glänzt und wo die Entwickler noch polieren müssen.

This week, it's sting or be stung as Seamus and Garrett cover the all time classic The Sting in honor of the passing of Robert Redford. Plus, we briefly discuss the private acquisition of Electronic Arts by multiple investment firms including the Saudi Arabia PIF, and a deeper look at the nose gesture made famous by The Sting. Episode timecodes: News - 1:04 EA obtained by Saudi Arabian PIF and other investors - 1:04 The Sting - 3:47 The Sting spoilers - 15:36 Pop Culture Reference (The Sting Nose Gesture)- 40:40 Save The Rec Center (Miami Blues & Chad Powers) - 46:46 Reach the show: Email: popculturereferencepod@gmail.com Bluesky: @pcr-podcast.bsky.social TikTok: @PCR_Podcast Instagram: @PCR_Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/PopCultureReference Music from filmmusic.io "Wallpaper" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Battlefield 6 is officially Electronic Arts' biggest launch in history! However, no live service launch is without its problems. Players on EA's own EA App were locked out of the game. On top of the launcher snafu, players quickly noted a frustrating in-game bug related to hit registration—where bullets visually connect but fail to register damage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Położenie geograficzne idealnie predestynuje nas do tego, żeby pozostać zdrowymi mimo braku suplementacji, a ponieważ za oknem jest ciemno, to ogólnie jest super - mamy czas na giereczki i dyskusje o nich. SKLEP ROZGRYWKI GRY: Battlefield 6 (0:57:18) Tom Clancy's The Division 2: Battle for Brooklyn (1:32:00) Darkenstein 3D (1:41:08) Moros Protocol (1:46:54) ODCINEK KOMENTUJECIE TUTAJ! Jesteśmy na Spotify! Tu znajdziecie naszego Discorda. Profil facebookowy: Bądź na bieżąco! Grupa facebookowa: Komentuj, hejtuj, śmiej się z nami Chcecie napisać do nas maila? To piszcie tu: kontakt@rozgrywka.online! iTunes: Masz „ejpla”? Znajdziesz nas tutaj Muzyka w tle na podstawie Creative Commons License pochodzi z https://www.bensound.com/ albo z omawianych produkcji. Materiał reklamowy otrzymaliśmy od Electronic Arts, MicroProse, Super Rare Originals. Otrzymane pozycje oznaczamy jako materiał reklamowy zgodnie z rekomendacjami UOKiK, ale nie ma to żadnego wpływu na nasze opinie.

EA is being purchased by private investors in 2027, and will immediately be saddled with $20billion worth of debt when the deal closes. (EA made $7.5billion in revenue in 2025.) There is a vulnerability in all games using the Unity Runtime released since 2017, so all of those games must be patched before some systems will be allowed to run them. Microsoft has changed up the Xbox Game Pass system to incur higher prices, meaning it is no longer the best deal in gaming. Then we talk to Rob about Game Pass and why it might be a failing of Xbox leadership.

Electronic Arts has recently been acquired in one of the biggest deals in the history of video games. This week, we share our thoughts on the news and what it might mean for the future of basketball gaming. We also note some of the reactions to the deal that we've seen from the wider gaming community on social media. Needless to say, it's proving to be quite a controversial move! The post NLSC Podcast #601: Electronic Arts Acquired in Massive Deal appeared first on NLSC.

In which we take a chance on Golden Nugget 64 (1998), where you're not the winner and you never were.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund just closed the largest gaming acquisition in history—$55 billion for Electronic Arts. But this isn't the typical private equity playbook.In this episode, host Joseph Kim sits down with two M&A experts who break down what's really happening:- Chris Petrovic - Board Chairman & CBO at FunPlus, former President of Publishing at Zynga where he orchestrated their transformative acquisition strategy- Matthew Kanterman, CFA - Gaming industry analyst specializing in M&A and financial analysisWe uncover the hidden truths behind the deal:→ Why EA's "operational bloat" narrative is based on an accounting myth→ The real reason EA chose to sell now (hostile takeovers? portfolio pressure?)→ Why Silver Lake's involvement is primarily "for optics"→ What "patient capital" means for EA's studios and the broader gaming industry→ The mobile strategy question: Will EA and Scopely actually integrate?→ Growth opportunities in sports, Asia, and transmedia→ Who really controls gaming's attention economy nowThis isn't about short-term cost-cutting. It's about sovereign wealth rewriting the rules of gaming M&A—and what that means for developers, studios, and the industry's future.Key Takeaways:- At 17-18x forward EBITDA, EA sold at a discount to Activision's 20x—why?- With Take-Two now the only major independent US publisher, what happens to exit opportunities?- EA's conservative accounting makes them look less efficient than they actually are- This deal is measured in decades, not the typical 5-7 year PE timeline

This week, we dive into the biggest gaming showcases of the season with our full Tokyo Game Show 2025 recap and reactions to the latest Sony State of Play! Level 857 Video Game Podcast Ep-377: Tokyo Game Show 2025 vs State of Play: Who Had The Better Show?00:00 - Intro03:04 - Games Played Discussion - Absolum, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Heroes of Mount Dragon, Iron Meat17:04 - Al played Adventure of Samsara21:45 - Choc played Street Fighter 6, Resident Evil 2 Remake, Ghost of Yotei31:09 - Stikz played Donkey Kong Bananza, Horizon Forbidden West39:47 - Stal played Shinobi: Art of Vengeance47:09 - Indie Game of the Week Spotlight - Ready Steady Ship51:50 - There Is No Good Reason To Buy An Xbox Anymore1:01:20 - Costco removing Xbox stock1:04:04 - Doug Bowser retiring from Nintendo of America1:09:17 - Electronic Arts to Go Private in $55 Billion Deal1:14:39 - Microsoft Has Delayed Its Pricey Xbox Game Pass Subscription Increase In Multiple Countries1:22:38 - Tokyo Game Show 2025 vs State of Play: Who Had The Better Show?If you enjoyed the podcast and would like to show support, feel free to do so in any of the following ways below:(1) Subscribe and share this podcast with close friends/family(2) Rate/Review us on your preferred podcasting platform: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/level857(3) Become a member on either Fourthwall or Patreon for exclusive perks and discounts on merch! https://www.857ent.com/#membership(4) Hit the bell and subscribe to our live podcast and multiplayer, co-op gaming channel: https://goo.gl/Zy9RTD***Special shout out to all of our supporters, especially our Boss Level Members***John L.

Battlefield 6 macht den Anfang: Seit dem 10. Oktober ist die Shooter-Marke von Electronic Arts auf dem Markt und begeistert vor allem mit geballter Multiplayer-Action. Es gibt allerdings auch ein paar Abstriche, die wiederum der Konkurrenz von Activision helfen könnte. Am 14. November erscheint nämlich Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 und möchte die Vormachtstellung verteidigen.In Folge 190 des PC Games Podcast diskutieren Moderator Michi Grünwald und Carlo Siebenhüner über das Duell der beiden Shooter, über die Vor- und Nachteile der Reihen und warum es dieses Jahr einen klaren Sieger geben könnte. Nachdem wir uns in Battlefield 6 bereits ausgetobt haben, findet ihr den Test zur Kampagne hier und den Test zum Multiplayer hier.Eine letzte Info gibt's noch zu unserer Community-Folge. Wir nehmen den Podcast am 15. Oktober auf, ihr habt also noch ein paar Tage Zeit für Feedback, Lob und Kritik. Haut fleißig in die Tasten und löchert unseren Head of Content Thilo Bayer mit Fragen zur Marke PC Games und unserer Neuausrichtung. Und jetzt wünschen wir euch viel Spaß beim Anhören der aktuellen Ausgabe!Der PC Games Podcast - der offizielle Videospielpodcast der PC Games - erscheint seit über einem Jahrzehnt regelmäßig und liefert dabei wöchentlich gleich mehrere Talks zum riesigen Thema Videospiele.Unser Moderationsteam, Michi Grünwald und Vivi Ziermann, deckt dabei etliche Bereiche ab: Review-Gespräche und Previews zu brandaktuellen Games, nostalgische Rückblicke, Reports, Interviews und vieles mehr. Dabei gibt es natürlich auch immer mal wieder spannende Insights in die Spielebranche und in die Redaktion des ältesten, noch aktiven Videospielmagazins Deutschlands - seit 1992 am Start!Unser Spiele-Podcast ist vollkommen kostenlos zugänglich und neben unseren Webseiten auch auf allen großen Podcast-Plattformen - von Apple Music bis hin zu Spotify - zu finden.

Show Notes On this week's podcast, Dan and Kris tackle the letter Z for this month's entry in the Alphabet Soup-er Series. It was Dan's pick, and he went with the classic text adventure Zork. Does this legendary title stand the test of time? The guys have some differing opinions. Then, in Week Old News, Electronic Arts goes even further to the dark side, AI is freaking everywhere, Rock Band 4 is finally shutting down, and apparently people still care about what Michael Pachter has to say? Finally in the checkpoint, Dan and Kris had very little time to actually play video games, but Kris decided to make cake pops for his daughter's birthday! How did they come out? What exactly is Mega Man Victory? Let's find out! Enjoy! Useful Links Support us on Patreon StoneAgeGamer.com The Gratuitous Rainbow Spectrum Safe at Home Rescue Shoot the Moon Stitches Art of Angela Dean's Substack SAG's theme Song “Squared Roots” by Banjo Guy Ollie Social Stuff Join us on Discord! Stone Age Gamer YouTube Twitch Geekade Facebook Stone Age Gamer Facebook Geekade Twitter Stone Age Gamer Twitter Geekade Instagram Stone Age Gamer Instagram YouTube Geekade Contact Us

We're thrilled to speak with Trip Hawkins, founder and CEO EA, 3DO, Digital Chocolate and more. From childhood football strategy, to WWIII Sims, he grew to make a company of electronic artists who made legendary games. Calming Steve Jobs, hacking consoles and many firsts - this week!Episode Highlights[00:01:20] Celebrating 100 Episodes and a Wild Week for EA Alex and Aaron mark The Fourth Curtain's 100th episode and react to the breaking news that Electronic Arts is being taken private.[00:02:31] What Happens When a Giant Like EA Gets Bought? The hosts break down what a private-equity acquisition really means for EA, from stock prices to internal culture shifts.[00:05:10] Founding Electronic Arts: Trip's Vision for Creative Freedom Trip shares how he built EA around empowering developers and treating them like rock stars — a radical idea in the early '80s.[00:17:44] The Apple Years: Working Under Steve Jobs Trip reflects on his early days at Apple, what he learned from Steve Jobs, and how that experience shaped his entrepreneurial mindset.[00:33:28] Madden, Licensing, and Building a Sports Empire Trip talks about the birth of Madden NFL, navigating licensing deals, and why the franchise became a cornerstone of EA's success.[00:48:56] The 3DO Era: Ambition, Innovation, and Hard Lessons He opens up about the 3DO console — what went wrong, what it taught him, and how to recover when innovation gets ahead of its time.[01:04:37] The Future of Games and Trip's Next Chapter Trip closes by sharing his outlook on AI, creativity, and what he's building next after a lifetime of shaping the games industry.[01:20:14] Trip Hawkins on Failure, Resilience, and ReinventionTrip opens up about the three “acts” of his life — the rise, the fall, and learning to rebuild after hitting rock bottom.Support the showThank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron MarroquinFind us at www.thefourthcurtain.com Join our Patreon for early, ad-free episodes plus bonus content at https://patreon.com/FourthCurtain Come join the conversation at https://discord.gg/KWeGE4xHfeVideos available at https://www.youtube.com/@thefourthcurtainFollow us on Twitter: @fourthcurtainEdited and mastered at https://noise-floor.com Audio Editor: Bryen HensleyVideo Editor: Sarkis GrigorianProducer: Kimya TaheriArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505

Electronic Arts' $55 billion privatization sparks debate over the state of gaming. The panel examines EA's financial struggles, originality fatigue, and cinematic excess in modern titles. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Eric Bolden, Guy Serle, Web Bixby, Jeff Gamet, Jim Rea and Mark Fuccio explore Saudi investment motives, shareholder pressures, and what defines real playability—fun, challenge, and creativity over graphics and spectacle.  This edition of MacVoices is supported by MacVoices Magazine, our free magazine on Flipboard. Updated daily with the best articles on the web to help you do more with your Apple gear and adjacent tech, access MacVoices Magazine content on Flipboard, on the web, or in your favorite RSS reader. Show Notes: Chapters: [0:09] Electronic Arts Goes Private[0:35] EA's Financial Struggles and Industry Concerns[2:27] The Problem of Unoriginal Games and Sequels[3:38] Franchise Fatigue and AI's Potential Role[5:10] Costs, Live Games, and Slower Development Cycles[7:21] Nintendo and the Power of Fun Gameplay[8:59] Shareholder Motives and Buyout Dynamics[13:34] Saudi Influence and Alternate Agendas[15:34] Defining Playability and Game Design Essentials[19:54] AI Engines and Future Storytelling in GamingLinks Links: EA confirms it will go private in $55 billion acquisitionhttps://www.engadget.com/ea-confirms-it-will-go-private-in-55-billion-acquisition-133841614.html Guests: Web Bixby has been in the insurance business for 40 years and has been an Apple user for longer than that.You can catch up with him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but prefers Bluesky. Eric Bolden is into macOS, plants, sci-fi, food, and is a rural internet supporter. You can connect with him on Twitter, by email at embolden@mac.com, on Mastodon at @eabolden@techhub.social, on his blog, Trending At Work, and as co-host on The Vision ProFiles podcast. Brian Flanigan-Arthurs is an educator with a passion for providing results-driven, innovative learning strategies for all students, but particularly those who are at-risk. He is also a tech enthusiast who has a particular affinity for Apple since he first used the Apple IIGS as a student. You can contact Brian on twitter as @brian8944. He also recently opened a Mastodon account at @brian8944@mastodon.cloud. Mark Fuccio is actively involved in high tech startup companies, both as a principle at piqsure.com, or as a marketing advisor through his consulting practice Tactics Sells High Tech, Inc. Mark was a proud investor in Microsoft from the mid-1990's selling in mid 2000, and hopes one day that MSFT will be again an attractive investment. You can contact Mark through Twitter, LinkedIn, or on Mastodon. Jeff Gamet is a technology blogger, podcaster, author, and public speaker. Previously, he was The Mac Observer's Managing Editor, and the TextExpander Evangelist for Smile. He has presented at Macworld Expo, RSA Conference, several WordCamp events, along with many other conferences. You can find him on several podcasts such as The Mac Show, The Big Show, MacVoices, Mac OS Ken, This Week in iOS, and more. Jeff is easy to find on social media as @jgamet on Twitter and Instagram, jeffgamet on LinkedIn., @jgamet@mastodon.social on Mastodon, and on his YouTube Channel at YouTube.com/jgamet. David Ginsburg is the host of the weekly podcast In Touch With iOS where he discusses all things iOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and related technologies. He is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users. Visit his YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/daveg65 and find and follow him on Twitter @daveg65 and on Mastodon at @daveg65@mastodon.cloud. Dr. Marty Jencius has been an Associate Professor of Counseling at Kent State University since 2000. He has over 120 publications in books, chapters, journal articles, and others, along with 200 podcasts related to counseling, counselor education, and faculty life. His technology interest led him to develop the counseling profession ‘firsts,' including listservs, a web-based peer-reviewed journal, The Journal of Technology in Counseling, teaching and conferencing in virtual worlds as the founder of Counselor Education in Second Life, and podcast founder/producer of CounselorAudioSource.net and ThePodTalk.net. Currently, he produces a podcast about counseling and life questions, the Circular Firing Squad, and digital video interviews with legacies capturing the history of the counseling field. This is also co-host of The Vision ProFiles podcast. Generally, Marty is chasing the newest tech trends, which explains his interest in A.I. for teaching, research, and productivity. Marty is an active presenter and past president of the NorthEast Ohio Apple Corp (NEOAC). Jim Rea built his own computer from scratch in 1975, started programming in 1977, and has been an independent Mac developer continuously since 1984. He is the founder of ProVUE Development, and the author of Panorama X, ProVUE's ultra fast RAM based database software for the macOS platform. He's been a speaker at MacTech, MacWorld Expo and other industry conferences. Follow Jim at provue.com and via @provuejim@techhub.social on Mastodon. Guy Serle, best known for being one of the co-hosts of the MyMac Podcast, sincerely apologizes for anything he has done or caused to have happened while in possession of dangerous podcasting equipment. He should know better but being a blonde from Florida means he's probably incapable of understanding the damage he has wrought. Guy is also the author of the novel, The Maltese Cube. You can follow his exploits on Twitter, catch him on Mac to the Future on Facebook, at @Macparrot@mastodon.social, and find everything at VertShark.com. Support:      Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon     http://patreon.com/macvoices      Enjoy this episode? 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This week we talk about Electronic Arts, 3DO, and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.We also discuss Jared Kushner, leveraged buyouts, and loot boxes.Recommended Book: Bandwidth by Dan CarusoTranscriptElectronic Arts, often shorthanded as EA, was founded in 1982 in California by a former Apple employee named Trip Hawkins, who also went on to found the ill-fated 3DO company, which made video game hardware, and the somewhat more prolific, but also ultimately ill-fated casual game developer Digital Chocolate.EA, though, has been an absolutely astounding success. It's business model was predicated on the premise of selling video games directly to retailers, rather than going through intermediaries. This allowed them to gain more market share than their competitors right off the bat, and it helped them glean higher margins than their competitors from each direct sale, too.EA also established an early reputation for treating its developers really well. They were the first gaming company to feature their developers in advertising and to give them platforms, promoting them as video game artists, basically, and it shared the profits netted from those direct sales with these develops—which in turn meant all the best developers really wanted to work for EA, which led to a beneficial cycle where they created better and better, and more and more financially successful games.In the late-80s, they started deviating from this model somewhat, scooping up a collection of successful independent game development studios and deviating, at times, from the creative lead's vision when releasing their games. They also refocused a fair bit of their resources on franchises, like the immensely successful, as it turned out, Madden NFL series, and they branched out into producing games for the console market, including the still-new Nintendo Entertainment System, in 1990.That same year, EA went public on the NASDAQ, the company got new leadership when Hawkins decided to refocus on his far less successful 3DO hardware startup, and in an interesting twist, the arrival of the Sony Playstation in North America caused EA to drop support for 3DO hardware in the mid-90s so it could refocus on Playstation games, which were a lot more lucrative.By the mid-90s, EA had an astonishingly large and successful software library, including franchises like the aforementioned Madden games and the FIFA soccer games, but also celebrity-tied games like Shaq Fu, and military shooters like Jungle and Urban Strike.By the early-2000s, EA was making exclusive licensing deals with the NFL and ESPN, in order to stave off newfound sports game competitors, and it was the only video game company to consistently make a profit, most others experiencing feast and famine cycles, with periodic wins, but a whole lot of losses they had to cover with the profits from those wins. EA, in contrast, had a reliable stable of profit-sources, and it thus had a whole lot of leverage in terms of attracting and retaining talent, but also getting big names and brands on board, for collaborative projects.What I'd like to talk about today is what happened to EA during and following the 2008 economic crisis, and how and why it recently became an acquisition target for Saudi Arabia.—In 2008, when the global economy was collapsing, EA suffered a bad holiday sales season and fired 1,100 employees and closed 12 of their facilities early the following year. Later in 2009, the company announced the firing of another 1,500 employees, which was about 17% of their total workforce at the time, and in 2010 they acquired a gaming company that focused on mobile games, which were becoming increasingly popular, now that many people had touch-capable smartphones, which brought hot new franchises like Angry Birds under their brand umbrella.On the strength of that acquisition and all those downsizings, in early 2011, EA announced that it hit $3.8 billion in revenue in the financial year for the first time, and in early 2012, it announced it surpassed $1 billion in digital revenue during the previous year, which was a huge figure that early in the digital media landscape. It used some of those profits to scoop up another mobile-first gaming company, adding properties like Plants vs Zombies and Peggle to their library.EA completed another mass-firing in 2013, dismissing 10% of their employees under what they called a reorganization, around the same time they announced an exclusive license with Disney that would allow them to develop Star Wars games.Their stock value boomed in the following years, as a result of those cost-savings measures, and those new relationships, and emboldened by record-high stock valuations, in the mid-20-teens, the company started releasing big-name games, like Star Wars Battlefront 2, with random-content loot boxes and other sorts of microtransactions.This did not go over well with players, who decried these in-game purchasing options as ‘pay to win' mechanics, as players could pay more money to get better characters and equipment, and a lot of the content, even after paying for the expensive games, was still locked behind paywalls, requiring more payments to unlock that content. A bunch of gaming journalists cried foul on this shift as the game careened toward its full release, as did a whole lot of early players, and Disney complained, too, so by the time it hit shelves, the game's loot system was substantially changed, but that whole controversy spooked investors, and led to an 8.5% stock value drop in just a single month, knocking $3.1 billion from the company's valuation. As a result of that controversy, EA also became the face for a larger legal and legislative debate about in-game purchases and how it's kinda sorta like gambling, from that point forward.Soon after, EA experienced a series of bad quarters, including a huge drop of 13.3% to its valuation when a major entry in one of their larger franchises, Battlefield V, was released late, and received very mixed reviews when it was released, which led to a million fewer sold copies than anticipated. The game was also lagging in terms of gameplay behind smaller, nimbler competitors, including then-burgeoning Fortnite.The company saw an overall boost with the surprise success of Apex Legends, and the COVID-19 pandemic boosted sales dramatically for a while, since everyone was staying home, which allowed EA to gobble up a few more competing companies with successful franchises, and they knocked out a few more successful Star Wars games, as well.In early 2021, Saudi Arabia's public investment funds bought 7.4 million shares of EA for about $1.1 billion, which flew under the radar for most gamers, but that'll be important in a moment.Later that year, the company experienced a massive hack, a lot of its data, including the source code for games, stolen and sold on the dark web. EA bought some more competitors, but word on the street in 2022 was the the higher ups at EA were quietly shopping the company around, themselves looking to be acquired by a larger entity, on the scale of Apple or Disney.In early 2023, the company announced more mass-layoffs and launched another internal reorganization. It gutted several of its most popular gaming sub-brands, including BioWare, it cancelled an upcoming Star Wars game, and it announced that it would be shifting away from licensing agreements and refocusing on EA-owned IP.The pattern of layoffs leading to better financial fortunes didn't pay off this time, though. In early 2025, EA divulged that it expected to underperform in the coming year, several of its big-name titles not doing as well as expected; the company cast blame on the market, but players and journalists pointed at the company's gutting of its big-name studios, and the firing of many of its veteran developers to explain the reduced sales.EA had another mass-firing in April of this year, and followed by another in May, which paralleled an announcement that they would no longer be moving forward with a big, planned Black Panther game.In late September of 2025, EA announced that it had reached a deal, worth $55 billion, to go private, no longer selling shares on the stock market, with the financial assistance of a group of investors, which included Affinity Partners, which is led by Jared Kushner, US President Trump's son-in-law, Silver Lake, which is a US-based private equity firm that helps make these sorts of big sales happen, and the aforementioned Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.This deal isn't done yet, it still needs to get regulatory approval and a successful vote by stockholders, but it seems likely to go through, since the US regulatory environment is pretty lax at the moment, and because Kushner is involved, it's unlikely President Trump will take a personal disliking to it.But the big story here seems to be that Saudi Arabia is buying up not just a video game company, but one of the biggest and most successful video gaming companies in the world, which, although it's lost a lot of fan-credibility over the years, still owns some massively influential intellectual property and has just a stunning number of relationships and connections throughout the media world, alongside its huge valuation.If the sale does go through, and we should know for sure by sometime around June 2026, it would be the largest-ever leveraged buyout, which means the purchase was completed by using borrowed money that was borrowed against the asset being purchased; so those investors have taken out debt against EA itself, which is an increasingly common means of buying a large asset on the cheap, but it also typically burdens that asset with a simply astounding amount of debt which must then be recouped, often by selling off undervalued assets.When this happens to a newspaper, for instance, the buyer will often sell off the paper's real estate and fire all their employees, to make money and pay off that debt, and in this case, there's a chance that debt will be paid by throwing up a bunch of new paywalls and really leaning into those in-game transactions that nobody really liked, including politicians, back in the day, but which in this current regulatory environment would probably be allowed, and they would probably make some serious bank off of it initially, before players started getting wise and moving on to other games released by less predatory companies.The really interesting facet of this story, though, is the question of why Saudi Arabia wants a video game company.And to understand that, it's important to understand that, first, the country's Public Investment Fund is meant to help its economy shift away from purely extractive resources, like oil, and it has thus invested in all sorts of things, including luxury beach resorts, minority stakes in financial service companies like Citigroup, stakes in companies like Disney and Boeing and Meta, and increasingly, investments in companies run by allies of President Trump, like the aforementioned Affinity Partners, which was formed by Jared Kushner.So this is an economic play, but also a political play, almost certainly, by the Saudis, to get in good with the people who are in good with the US government.It's also been alleged that this might be an attempt by the Saudis to engage in what's being called game-washing, which is similar to greenwashing, but instead of trying to make a company seem green and sustainable by doing kinda sorta green things, but only as a veneer to cover up the opposite, in this case it means using sports and video games and the like to increase a nation's reputation with humanistic seeming things, despite, well, the truth being much more complicated.Just as when the Fund participated in buying a Premier League football, a soccer team, back in 2021, then, alongside their concomitant establishment of LIV Gold, a golf league meant to compete with the PGA, this investment in EA, and other investments it's made in video game companies like Capcom and Nexon, might be part of a larger effort to diversify the nation's brand, not just its economics. It's human rights record is abysmal, and it's possible they're trying to cover that up, make people forget about it, by creating more connections between Saudi Arabia and more positive things, like sports and games and the like.There are additional concerns about this purchase of EA, too, by the way, because Saudi Arabia's cultural values are very anti-woman, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-liberal, democratic values. So there are fears that we might see less representation and fewer what we might call western values portrayed in the games released by these studios, as a result of this ownership.The folks running EA have said their core values will remain unchanged by the buyout, but it's expected, bare-minimum, that this will lead to another several restructurings and mass-layoffs throughout the company in the coming years, to help recoup all that debt, at the end of which even the people making those promises might be long gone.Show Noteshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Investment_Fundhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/business/dealbook/electronic-arts-buyout-jared-kushner.htmlhttps://www.wsj.com/business/deals/ea-private-deal-buyout-video-game-maker-808aefechttps://www.ft.com/content/61cef75e-ceba-43ee-80e3-040756c6154f?accessToken=zwAGQAMTiJKIkc9hzvdezrpD7tOA4wQHVsYVTw.MEUCIHND3WOT4rS4frIMIOoeXHQeil_Ma1yGrwOqUD2m306DAiEAtA_QLvpyObai9zoo_9GZSljJuJyTKxJgFHpQDcCcVsE&sharetype=gift&token=03dd6ca5-c34f-4925-8a3d-a89f4058ee80https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/ea-silver-lake-deal-jared-kushner-c145cd55?st=eZghQHhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Arts This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

All anyone wants to talk about right now is Electronic Arts, and reasonably so. The American publishing titan is on the verge of being purchased by external interests for $55 billion, and when we say external, we mean it. The major player in reverting EA to a private corporation is Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, muddying this already complex deal that also happens to be the largest leveraged buyout in human history. Perhaps not surprisingly, this gives us much to pontificate on. Other news this week includes rumblings of a DualSense revision with a removable battery, the very real potential that a Prototype remaster is imminent, the wisdom (or perhaps lack thereof) in Forza Horizon 6 skipping PlayStation 5 at launch, and more. We then get into listener inquiries to wrap up the show, as we always do. What are our thoughts on Xbox's staggering Game Pass price hike? How do we feel about Magic: The Gathering's stylish new collaboration with PlayStation? Is Destiny officially on death's door? Will Dustin have a coffee named after him at a cafe in Texas? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:27:35 - Sacred Sweaters! Preorder starts Monday!0:30:44 - Sacred Coffee specials0:38:06 - Salary for a henchman0:44:03 - EA sells to a consortium for $55 billion1:31:33 - Is Sony a "terrible company"?1:46:24 - New DualSense revision1:53:25 - Revisions to the PS5 Slim1:54:51 - Prototype remaster incoming?2:05:22 - Forza Horizon 6 is coming to PS5, but delayed2:14:03 - Ubisoft and Tecent's collaboration is called Vantage Studios2:17:13 - What We're Playing (Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut, Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition, BioShock 2, Baby Steps, Silent Hill f, Megabonk)2:46:17 - Xbox's price hike3:23:32 - What's next for Halo?3:40:36 - Direct sequels or spiritual successors3:47:29 - Sony/Magic the Gathering3:57:56 - Is Destiny 2 dead?4:04:54 - Series prime for AA sequels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben, Matt James, and Justin Charity break down the bombshell news about Electronic Arts being sold for $55 billion, Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass price hike, and the showdown between ‘Battlefield' and ‘Call of Duty.' Then Ben, Matt, and Daniel Chin share their spoiler-free reviews of the new spiritual sequel to ‘Ghost of Tsushima,' the PlayStation 5 exclusive ‘Ghost of Yotei.' EA is being acquired (01:43) Microsoft Xbox Game Pass price increase (14:04) 'Call of Duty' vs. 'Battlefield' (28:29) 'Ghost of Yotei' reactions (35:58) Host: Ben Lindbergh Guests: Matt James, Justin Charity, and Daniel Chin Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield cover Silent Hill f, the sacrifice of EA to the monster of private capital, and thirty PlayStation hot takes. Hosted by Esper Quinn, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Watch episodes with full video on YouTube Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums SHOW NOTES: Laparoscopy “Don't you dare throw chunks.” Tetris Effect Lumines Arise Silent Hill f Hollow Knight: Silksong Rhythm Heaven 1: Y'all playin' that Hilf? (05:29) Silent Hill series Al Yang Konami Kingdom Hearts series Lucy James Pyramid Head 2: EA got bought. That's not good, right? (14:53) Video gamer Electronic Arts to be bought in largest-ever private equity buyout valued at $55 billion EA's new owners are making “a huge bet” on generative AI cost-cutting to help repay a $20 billion loan, claims report Madden series Battlefield series EA Sports FC series Rockstar finally fixed the disastrous GTA remastered trilogy years after it released BioWare The Sims series Xbox One Xbox ROG Ally 3: What do you think the CEO of Nintendo of America does? (21:03) Nintendo Of America President Doug Bowser Announces Retirement Reggie Fils-Aimé Sega Genesis Mother 3 Pokemon GO 4: Which real world non-extinct animal is presented as the most powerful in video games?(24:39) Lion Wolf Gorilla Donkey Kong Shark Red Dead Redemption II T-Rex Komodo dragon Dragon Grizzly bear Legendary Axe Golden Axe Tiger Tokyo Jungle 5: What is a “real gamer?” (26:35) CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Sam Bankman-Fried Super Smash Bros. series Legend of Zelda series Valorant Counter-Strike Words With Friends Wordle Spelling Bee Zach Gage Puzzmo 6: Are there protest video games? (32:02) 1000xRESIST Mouthwashing Jack Thompson This War of Mine Spec Ops: The Line Disco Elysium itch.io Despelote Consume Me Hades II Ghost of Yōtei LIGHTNING ROUND: 30 Years of PlayStation (42:02) Recommendations and Outro (52:51): Brandon: Kimimi the Game Eating She-Monster, Coyote Media, skip the commentary track for Blood of Heroes, Makeruna! Makendou 2 - Versus Menu Music Frank: Silent Hill f, Coyote Media Ash: Log off, get your uterus checked out if you have a uterus Esper: J2ME, DoCoMo i-mode, KDDI ezWeb, etc. The Mobile Gaming of ol' thread, Women Wearing Shoulder Pads (i actually watched this the day after recording but since I write the show notes i'm going to recommend it here, it's less than 2 hours to watch the whole first season and it's incredible) This week's Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you. This week's horrible buzzer was sent in by Matt McNeely. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to show@insertcredit.com, and maybe we'll use it on the show! Subscribe: RSS, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield cover Silent Hill f, the sacrifice of EA to the monster of private capital, and thirty PlayStation hot takes. Hosted by Esper Quinn, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Watch episodes with full video on YouTube Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums SHOW NOTES: Laparoscopy “Don't you dare throw chunks.” Tetris Effect Lumines Arise Silent Hill f Hollow Knight: Silksong Rhythm Heaven 1: Y'all playin' that Hilf? (05:29) Silent Hill series Al Yang Konami Kingdom Hearts series Lucy James Pyramid Head 2: EA got bought. That's not good, right? (14:53) Video gamer Electronic Arts to be bought in largest-ever private equity buyout valued at $55 billion EA's new owners are making “a huge bet” on generative AI cost-cutting to help repay a $20 billion loan, claims report Madden series Battlefield series EA Sports FC series Rockstar finally fixed the disastrous GTA remastered trilogy years after it released BioWare The Sims series Xbox One Xbox ROG Ally 3: What do you think the CEO of Nintendo of America does? (21:03) Nintendo Of America President Doug Bowser Announces Retirement Reggie Fils-Aimé Sega Genesis Mother 3 Pokemon GO 4: Which real world non-extinct animal is presented as the most powerful in video games?(24:39) Lion Wolf Gorilla Donkey Kong Shark Red Dead Redemption II T-Rex Komodo dragon Dragon Grizzly bear Legendary Axe Golden Axe Tiger Tokyo Jungle 5: What is a “real gamer?” (26:35) CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Sam Bankman-Fried Super Smash Bros. series Legend of Zelda series Valorant Counter-Strike Words With Friends Wordle Spelling Bee Zach Gage Puzzmo 6: Are there protest video games? (32:02) 1000xRESIST Mouthwashing Jack Thompson This War of Mine Spec Ops: The Line Disco Elysium itch.io Despelote Consume Me Hades II Ghost of Yōtei LIGHTNING ROUND: 30 Years of PlayStation (42:02) Recommendations and Outro (52:51): Brandon: Kimimi the Game Eating She-Monster, Coyote Media, skip the commentary track for Blood of Heroes, Makeruna! Makendou 2 - Versus Menu Music Frank: Silent Hill f, Coyote Media Ash: Log off, get your uterus checked out if you have a uterus Esper: J2ME, DoCoMo i-mode, KDDI ezWeb, etc. The Mobile Gaming of ol' thread, Women Wearing Shoulder Pads (i actually watched this the day after recording but since I write the show notes i'm going to recommend it here, it's less than 2 hours to watch the whole first season and it's incredible) This week's Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you. This week's horrible buzzer was sent in by Matt McNeely. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to show@insertcredit.com, and maybe we'll use it on the show! Subscribe: RSS, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

This week: Felix Salmon finally gets to nerd out on Argentina's economy as Trump goes against the GOP playbook by bailing the country out to the tune of $20 billion. Felix, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck break down why this is such an unusual move, how it shows Trump's favoritism, and what it means for America's soy farmers. Then, the US government has officially shut down but stocks are soaring. The hosts talk about who, if not Wall Street, is economically impacted by the shutdown. And finally, Jared Kushner helped broker a record-breaking $55 billion private equity deal for Electronic Arts that includes Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Do we care if the Saudis own a controlling stake of the gaming giant? In the Slate Plus episode: What number is Felix thinking of?  Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli, Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at ⁠www.monarchmoney.com/SLATE⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do investors think of Electronic Arts saying game over to the public markets? And how did Pfizer do amid pharma stocks' TrumpRX-fueled rally? Plus, who were the winners and losers in a change to how FICO scores are bought and sold? Host Francesca Fontana discusses the biggest stock moves of the week and the news that drove them. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do investors think of Electronic Arts saying “game over” to the public markets? And how did Pfizer do amid pharma stocks' TrumpRx-fueled rally? Plus, who were the winners and losers in a change to how FICO scores are bought and sold? Host Francesca Fontana discusses the biggest stock moves of the week and the news that drove them. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week: Felix Salmon finally gets to nerd out on Argentina's economy as Trump goes against the GOP playbook by bailing the country out to the tune of $20 billion. Felix, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck break down why this is such an unusual move, how it shows Trump's favoritism, and what it means for America's soy farmers. Then, the US government has officially shut down but stocks are soaring. The hosts talk about who, if not Wall Street, is economically impacted by the shutdown. And finally, Jared Kushner helped broker a record-breaking $55 billion private equity deal for Electronic Arts that includes Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Do we care if the Saudis own a controlling stake of the gaming giant? In the Slate Plus episode: What number is Felix thinking of?  Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli, Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at ⁠www.monarchmoney.com/SLATE⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week: Felix Salmon finally gets to nerd out on Argentina's economy as Trump goes against the GOP playbook by bailing the country out to the tune of $20 billion. Felix, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck break down why this is such an unusual move, how it shows Trump's favoritism, and what it means for America's soy farmers. Then, the US government has officially shut down but stocks are soaring. The hosts talk about who, if not Wall Street, is economically impacted by the shutdown. And finally, Jared Kushner helped broker a record-breaking $55 billion private equity deal for Electronic Arts that includes Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Do we care if the Saudis own a controlling stake of the gaming giant? In the Slate Plus episode: What number is Felix thinking of?  Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli, Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at ⁠www.monarchmoney.com/SLATE⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kara and Scott discuss the ramifications of the government shutdown, Electronic Arts going private, and OpenAI taking on TikTok. Then, how does real Scott feel about AI Scott? Plus, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declares the military free from woke-ness, and YouTube settles with Trump. We're going on tour! Get your tickets at pivottour.com Watch this episode on the ⁠⁠Pivot YouTube channel⁠⁠. Follow us on Instagram and Threads at ⁠⁠@pivotpodcastofficial⁠⁠. Follow us on Bluesky at ⁠⁠@pivotpod.bsky.social⁠⁠ Follow us on TikTok at ⁠⁠@pivotpodcast⁠⁠. Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or email pivot@voxmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A group of investors including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Jared Kushner's investment firm are acquiring videogame maker Electronic Arts. The $55 billion deal is the largest leveraged buyout of all time. WSJ's Lauren Thomas takes us inside the historic buyout, exploring the company's fandom and legacy. Ryan Knutson hosts. Further Listening:  Camp Swamp Road Series Why Microsoft Is Paying $75 Billion for Activision Blizzard Sign up for WSJ's free What's News newsletter.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where else to begin than trying to understand the wild news that Electronic Arts is becoming a private company largely because of Saudi Arabia? We live in…well, we live in times. We truly do. Join Patrick, Rob, Janet, and Chia as they try to understand the nature of modern soft political power, the future of EA, and more. Elsewhere, Patrick's “finished” Silksong, at times it's unclear if Chia will stay awake to finish the podcast (vaxxed??), and we have lengthy impressions of Baby Steps and Endless Legend 2. Plus, a fun dip into The Question Bucket.Discussed: EA Goes Private and is partially owned by the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund 0:47, Silksong 1:02:22, Games We May or May Not Play 1:46:01, Baby Steps 1:51:40, Endless Legend 2 2:11:45, Hell is Us 2:35:01, The Question Bucket 2:38:10, Outro and Announcements 3:09:20See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Cleveland Browns are going with Dillon Garbiel in London! Not Shedeur Sanders. Not Joe Flacco. So much noise around this team. It's ridiculous! It is always a mess with this team! (16:00) The Colorado Rockies have fired its GM. One of the worst seasons of all time. Bill Schmidt has been there since 1999, GM since 2021. Three straight 100-game losing seasons. 119 losses this year. Terrible farm system. (25:30) Bruce Bochy will not be the Giants manger. Not happening said Buster Posey. (30:20) What is going on with the Cardinals? What happened to the winning? Chaim Bloom is trying to change it. (37:00) Electronic Arts is being acquired for $55 billion… by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Excuse me? (44:00) The Big Ten is about to get into bed with private equity. A $2 billion plan? What does that mean for the future of that conference? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Download for Mobile | Podcast Preview | Full Timestamps Older Twitch VODs are now being uploaded to the new channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CastleSuperBeastArchive Weapons Spoiler-Free Review Dattebayo Your Own Personal Banjo Kazooie Tuba Soundscape Hell Sure The EA Buyout is Evil, But It's Also Really Dumb Teemo: Marlinpie Understood The Toxic Assignment Capcom Cup PPV fumbles a huge in game opportunity for SF6 Watch live: twitch.tv/castlesuperbeast Go to http://shopify.com/superbeast to sign up for your $1-per-month trial period. - Eat smart at https://factormeals.com/castle50off and use code castle50off to get 50% off your first box, plus Free Breakfast for 1 Year. - Download the Rocket Money app and enter my show name Castle Super Beast in the survey so they know we sent you! Video game giant Electronic Arts to be taken private in historic $55B buyout deal, Buyers include Saudi sovereign wealth fund, private equity firm run by Jared Kushner Over half of Japanese game companies are using AI in development according to a new survey, including Level-5 and Capcom Hirohiko Araki Discusses the Evil of AI Art Teemo Gameplay Reveal Trailer | 2XKO Street Fighter 6 - C. Viper Gameplay Trailer Street Fighter 6's Capcom Cup Finals Will Be Pay-Per-View, And Fans Are Furious Woman wins MK tournament while holding a baby Genndy's Black Knight desperate pitch Feature: Who Is Devon Pritchard? - Meet The Next NOA President Stepping Into Bowser's Boots  

The Cleveland Browns are going with Dillon Garbiel in London! Not Shedeur Sanders. Not Joe Flacco. So much noise around this team. It's ridiculous! It is always a mess with this team! (16:00) The Colorado Rockies have fired its GM. One of the worst seasons of all time. Bill Schmidt has been there since 1999, GM since 2021. Three straight 100-game losing seasons. 119 losses this year. Terrible farm system. (25:30) Bruce Bochy will not be the Giants manger. Not happening said Buster Posey. (30:20) What is going on with the Cardinals? What happened to the winning? Chaim Bloom is trying to change it. (37:00) Electronic Arts is being acquired for $55 billion… by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Excuse me? (44:00) The Big Ten is about to get into bed with private equity. A $2 billion plan? What does that mean for the future of that conference? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kirk, Jason, and Maddy convene to talk about the big news of the week — Electronic Arts going private as part of a $55 billion leveraged buyout — and what it could mean for the people involved. Then they talk about Ghost of Yotei, the latest PlayStation 5 exclusive and an open-world samurai game about exploring feudal Japan and killing ronin with a sword. It's fun! One More Thing:Kirk: Baby StepsMaddy: Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)Jason: One Battle After Another (2025)LINKS:“How Private Equity Destroys the Companies You Depend On” - The Culture Study Podcast w/ Megan Greenwell: https://culturestudypod.substack.com/p/how-private-equity-destroys-the-companiesSupport Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/joinAll-New Triple Click Merch!! https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+click&options%5Bprefix%5D=lastJoin the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpodTriple Click Ethics Policy: https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

On this week's Mean Age Daydream, Saudi Arabia's national investment arm teams wit Jared Kushner to eat major US gaming publisher Electronic Arts - is that good, bad, or both? Also: Government shuts down, and Wikipedia and the ADL get exposed. Care about your liberty and future? Don't miss the Expat Money Online Summit, October 10–12, hosted by Mikkel Thorup of the Expat Money Show. It's free to attend and features top experts on protecting wealth, securing second residencies, lowering taxes, and owning property abroad. Upgrade for lifetime replay access and VIP panels with promo code LIONS for 20% off at ⁠https://2025.expatmoneysummit.com/⁠ We have a new show on Lions of Liberty! The Politicks Podcast! Be sure to subscribe to the standalone Politicks Podcast feed. This is the absolute best way to support the show! Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. And remember, they're all Blood Suckers! Help support what we do and grow our show! ⁠⁠⁠⁠ http://patreon.com/lionsofliberty⁠⁠⁠⁠ OR support us on Locals! ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lionsofliberty.locals.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the all new FIRST EPISODE PODCAST! ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/ENTS.... First Episode Pod on Rumble: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rumble.com/c/c-5679432 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vote for The Best Idea Yet to win “Best Business Podcast”: ​​https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2025/shows/genre/businessMcDonald's Monopoly is back after 10 years… It broke the rules of marketing (and the FBI got involved).Friend is selling a physical AI buddy… and its $1M subway ad is the biggest ever.Saudi Arabia is buying Electronic Arts for $55 billion… it's not for profits, it's for power.Our weekly show The Best Idea Yet just wrapped up Season 1… and got nominated for “Best Business Podcast”So vote, vote, vote, vote for us to win the award: ​​https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2025/shows/genre/business$HAS $MCD $EA NEWSLETTER:https://tboypod.com/newsletter OUR 2ND SHOW:Want more business storytelling from us? Check our weekly deepdive show, The Best Idea Yet: The untold origin story of the products you're obsessed with. Listen for free to The Best Idea Yet: https://wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/NEW LISTENERSFill out our 2 minute survey: https://qualtricsxm88y5r986q.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dp1FDYiJgt6lHy6GET ON THE POD: Submit a shoutout or fact: https://tboypod.com/shoutouts SOCIALS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tboypod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tboypodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tboypod Linkedin (Nick): https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-martell/Linkedin (Jack): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-crivici-kramer/Anything else: https://tboypod.com/ About Us: The daily pop-biz news show making today's top stories your business. Formerly known as Robinhood Snacks, The Best One Yet is hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 1804 - brought to you by our incredible sponsors: True Classic- TrueClassic.com/HARDFACTOR to try them out for yourself. Hydrow- Go to Hydrow.com and use code HARDFACTOR to save up to $450 off your Hydrow Pro Rower! DaftKings- Download the DraftKings Casino app, sign up with code HARDFACTOR, and spin your favorite slots! The Crown is Yours - Gambling problem? Call one eight hundred GAMBLER Lucy- Let's level up your nicotine routine with Lucy.  Go to ⁠⁠Lucy.co/HARDFACTOR⁠⁠ and use promo code (HARDFACTOR) to get 20% off your first order. Must be of age-verified. Better Help - Our listeners get 10% off their first month of online therapy at BetterHelp.com/HARDFACTOR Timestamps: 00:00:00 Timestamps 00:04:21 58 Million Pound Cordog Recall 00:16:32 Video gamer Electronic Arts to be bought in largest-ever private equity buyout valued at $55 billion 00:22:57 China trying to ban “kill joys” on social media 00:28:10 Man arrested for posting meme 00:33:18 KPop Noodle Challenge burning kids 00:34:48: Two passengers on Milan to London flight eat passports 00:42:25 Sperm Racing company gets 75 million in “seed” money Thank you for listening!! If you're still reading, join our community at patreon.com/hardfactor to get access to bonus podcasts, discord chat, and much more... but Most importantly: HAGFD!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 1939, Jack and Miles are joined by co-host of Stuff They Don't Want You To Know, Ridiculous History, and Wrongful Conviction, Ben Bowlin, to discuss… Elon Deleted That Tweet About Trump Being In The Epstein Files... Musk Also In Files Tho? Trump Isn’t Polling Well But At Least He Can Offer Us Medbeds? This Just In: Don’t Tape Your Mouth Shut At Night, Saudi Arabia And Jared Kushner’s Private Equity Firm Are Buying Electronic Arts For $55 Billion and more! Trump Isn’t Polling Well But At Least He Can Offer Us Medbeds? Viral mouth-taping trend ‘sus’ says Canadian sleep expert Viral ‘mouth taping’ TikTok trend labelled ‘dangerous’ Some people tape their mouths shut at night. Doctors wish they wouldn’t LISTEN: IDONTMIND by ZEP, Moses YoofeeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Electronic Arts delivers exciting news about its future. Nintendo delivers exciting news about its future! Xbox delivers… but not to Costco? Also: Ghost of Yotei, Megabonk, and much, much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosts Alex Kirshner, Ben Lindbergh, and Lindsay Gibbs speak to Fried Egg Golf's Kevin Van Valkenburg about the American crowds, President, and golf lapses at the Ryder Cup. Ben previews the MLB playoffs, and the hosts discuss the purchase of Electronic Arts by Jared Kushner and a Saudi investment fund. For Afterballs, Ben dusts off a copy of Robert Redford's oft-forgotten and underrated ski film, Downhill Racer. On the bonus episode available exclusively for Slate Plus members, Lindsay recounts the drama of the WNBA semifinals. Ryder Cup (6:18): American losers MLB (26:19): Mets gonna Mets E.A. Sports (42:33): It's in the…sovereign wealth fund? Afterballs (54:18): Remembering Downhill Racer (Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad-free.) Get more Hang Up and Listen with Slate Plus! Join for weekly bonus episodes of Hang Up and Listen and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Hang Up and Listen show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or visit slate.com/hangupplus for access wherever you listen. You can email us at hangup@slate.com. Podcast production and editing by Kevin Bendis, with production assistance from Patrick Fort. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 680: Welcome Producer Ray to the show! Neal and Ray discuss the almost $50 billion deal that is possible taking video game giant Electronic Arts private. Next up, the battle of California vs nonstick cookware and the Saudi Comedy festival that is paying the world's top entertainers the big bucks, but has not come without controversy. Then the guys share their winners of the weekend and take a look at the week ahead.  Spend $250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn Ads and get a free $250 credit for the next one. Check out https://www.linkedIn.com/mbd for more. Get your MBD live show tickets here! https://www.tinyurl.com/MBD-HOLIDAY  Vote for MBD in the Signal Awards! http://bit.ly/3W4e5ik  Subscribe to Morning Brew Daily for more of the news you need to start your day. Share the show with a friend, and leave us a review on your favorite podcast app. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.swap.fm/l/mbd-note⁠⁠⁠  Watch Morning Brew Daily Here:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosts Alex Kirshner, Ben Lindbergh, and Lindsay Gibbs speak to Fried Egg Golf's Kevin Van Valkenburg about the American crowds, President, and golf lapses at the Ryder Cup. Ben previews the MLB playoffs, and the hosts discuss the purchase of Electronic Arts by Jared Kushner and a Saudi investment fund. For Afterballs, Ben dusts off a copy of Robert Redford's oft-forgotten and underrated ski film, Downhill Racer. On the bonus episode available exclusively for Slate Plus members, Lindsay recounts the drama of the WNBA semifinals. Ryder Cup (6:18): American losers MLB (26:19): Mets gonna Mets E.A. Sports (42:33): It's in the…sovereign wealth fund? Afterballs (54:18): Remembering Downhill Racer (Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad-free.) Get more Hang Up and Listen with Slate Plus! Join for weekly bonus episodes of Hang Up and Listen and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Hang Up and Listen show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or visit slate.com/hangupplus for access wherever you listen. You can email us at hangup@slate.com. Podcast production and editing by Kevin Bendis, with production assistance from Patrick Fort. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Comcast says its president will serve as co-CEO with longtime Chief Executive Brian Roberts. And tech-bubble fears rise in Deutsche Bank investor poll. Zoe Kuhlkin hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

P.M. Edition for Sept. 26. Six years after two deadly crashes of its 737 MAX jets, Boeing has regained authority from the Federal Aviation Administration to do some of its own safety checks. We hear from WSJ reporter Andrew Tangel about what this means for the company. Plus, banks are racing to respond to regulators' broad requests for information on whether they closed customer accounts on political or religious grounds. WSJ banking reporter Gina Heeb discusses what regulators are asking for, and why now. And, as videogame maker Electronic Arts nears a roughly $50 billion deal to go private, Journal reporter Miriam Gottfried says it's not necessarily a sign that leveraged buyouts are back in vogue. Alex Ossola hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices