After Years Working With EA, Starfield And Deus Ex Actor Blasts Rumored AI Cost-Cutting Following Controversial $55 Billion Buyout

EA might be about to change hands for an eye-watering $55 billion. The deal is not done yet, but it sounds like the plan involves big debt, bigger promises, and a whole lot of AI talk. And at least one very prominent voice actor is not mincing words about it.

The $55 billion question

Here is the basic shape of it: the proposed buyout would saddle EA with roughly $20 billion in new debt to help finance the takeover. That is not a rounding error. Inside the company, people are bracing for cuts. A former BioWare veteran has already said layoffs feel likely and warned of a dramatic reduction in people if the debt pressure turns into cost-cutting mode.

Enter AI, because of course

According to the Financial Times, people tied to the transaction say the new investors are banking on AI-powered cost savings to trim operating expenses, service that fresh debt, and juice profits. Classic playbook stuff, but the AI angle is what is lighting the fuse here.

Elias Toufexis is not having it

Elias Toufexis - Adam Jensen in Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mankind Divided, Sam Coe in Starfield, and a frequent EA collaborator - reacted the way a lot of creatives are feeling right now: bluntly.

"I work for EA a lot so I should be careful here... fuck you."

He posted that on October 1, 2025, alongside a link to the report. One fan replied: "Very subtle."

What does AI actually mean here?

We do not have specifics. This is not necessarily a plan to flood the market with AI-generated EA games tomorrow. But the worry is obvious: if AI becomes a catch-all for cost savings, it can creep into creative workflows and, yes, replace people. That is the part that freaks out developers, actors, writers, and pretty much anyone who makes stuff for a living.

EA leadership is all-in on the tech

CEO Andrew Wilson has talked up AI for a while now. In his words, AI in its different forms has always been part of EA's creative journey, and it is not just a buzzword to them - it is core to the business. That is a very rosy framing, especially against the backdrop of a buyout built on debt and promises of efficiency.

One more inside-baseball note

A former Dragon Age director also weighed in on the broader culture question. They said it is hard to imagine BioWare suddenly flipping from the studio's traditionally progressive storytelling to the opposite after a $55 billion takeover - unless EA wanted public perception to be "apocalyptically bad." Translation: any sharp pivot in messaging would be a PR five-alarm fire.

Quick recap

• EA is slated for a $55 billion acquisition, pending completion.
• The deal reportedly loads EA with about $20 billion in debt.
• Per the Financial Times, investors plan to lean on AI to cut costs, handle the debt, and boost profits.
• Inside EA, layoffs are a real fear - a former BioWare veteran thinks they are likely and warns of a dramatic headcount reduction.
• Actor Elias Toufexis, who works with EA often, publicly blasted the AI cost-cut talk with a blunt post on Oct 1, 2025.
• EA CEO Andrew Wilson has repeatedly framed AI as central to EA's creative and business future.
• A former Dragon Age director says a sudden 180 on BioWare's usual progressive themes would be hard to imagine without the public reaction turning "apocalyptically bad."

Bottom line: if this deal closes, expect the next year to be a tug-of-war between the spreadsheet and the people who actually make EA's games feel alive. And right now, the spreadsheet is getting all the airtime.