Senators call Saudi Arabia's Sovereign Wealth Fund a "strategic arm of the government."
Two influential US senators, Richard Blumenthal and Elizabeth Warren, have sent letters to the Treasury Department and the management of Electronic Arts, expressing "deep concern" about the upcoming acquisition of the company by a consortium of investors, including the Saudi Arabian Sovereign Wealth Fund.
Politicians warn of potential risks of foreign influence and threats to national security associated with the authoritarian regime's control over the American gaming industry giant.
In a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who also chairs the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, the senators call for a "thorough review" of the deal.
According to the senators, Saudi Arabia's Sovereign Wealth Fund is a "strategic arm of the government." In their opinion, the fund's investments in sports, video games, and cultural institutions (including $3.3 billion in Activision Blizzard) are aimed not so much at profit as at "buying influence" and normalizing Saudi Arabia's global image.
