A senior figure at Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios has voiced concern that Saudi Arabia's $55 billion (roughly £43 billion) acquisition of Electronic Arts could see the publisher's varied back catalogue neglected in favour of relentlessly milking its biggest franchises. The warning reflects wider unease in the games industry about what happens to smaller, more experimental EA properties once the company is folded into a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, alongside Affinity Partners and Silver Lake.

The developer argued that EA holds "one of the best catalogues in the industry", spanning sports titles, shooters and narrative-driven games, but fears new ownership could push the studio towards becoming what they called a "sequel-and-mega-franchise machine", prioritising guaranteed hits such as EA Sports FC, Battlefield and The Sims over riskier or less commercial projects. The takeover, announced as one of the largest in gaming history, has already prompted scrutiny over its financial structure and the implications of Saudi state involvement in a major Western games publisher.