# Did Saudi Arabia spend billions on EA Games to get Canadians' Data?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/canadaland-317958/did-saudi-arabia-spend-billions-on-ea-games-to-get-canadians-data
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/canadaland-317958/did-saudi-arabia-spend-billions-on-ea-games-to-get-canadians-data.md
Podcast: [CANADALAND](https://stenobird.com/podcast/canadaland-317958)
Published: 2026-09-14T10:45:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/canadaland/episodes/6aa7626d5b934194478d2f8d
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/630ceae33fe37400122828c6/e/6aa7626d5b934194478d2f8d/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/canadaland-317958/episodes/did-saudi-arabia-spend-billions-on-ea-games-to-get-canadians-data
Duration seconds: 1964

## Resource

It is the biggest leveraged buyout in history.  Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) just bought EA Games: one of the world’s biggest video game companies.  PIF joined forces with two American investment firms (one run by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner) to buy the gaming giant for $55 billion. But this could be about a lot more than just video games.  EA has more than 700 million players worldwide, and it’s collecting vast amounts of data on them.  What are the national security and privacy implications of a foreign sovereign wealth fund controlling a company with all that data?  And given EA has a Canadian subsidiary with Canadian employees and, of course, Canadian players — how has the Canadian government scrutinized this deal? Host: Gemma Boothroyd Credits: Gemma Boothroyd (Reporter), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Chad Galloway (Audio Editing & Production), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher) Fact checking by Julian Abraham   Additional music by Audio Network Image by Saudi Press Agency More information: Saudi-led group completes $55bn purchase of gaming giant EA - BBC Executions in Saudi Arabia hit highest number on record in 2025 - The Guardian   The Kingdom Came to Canada: How Saudi-Linked Digital Espionage Reached Canadian Soil - The Citizen Lab   After 25 years, I’m breaking up with The Sims. Here’s why you should, too | Jordan Erica Webber - The Guardian Prime Minister Carney deepens partnership with Saudi Arabia across trade, education, technology, and critical minerals   The CFIUS Review That Will Never Be - Vinita Singh for Lawfare Postponement Of Saudi Arabia’s Esports Nations Cup Heightens Concerns About Gulf Sport - Simon Chadwick Canada strengthens guidelines on foreign investments i…

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