# AJS News- EA SOLD! for $55 BILLION! to Affinity Partners, Costco Ditches XBOX, Bowser Quits Nintendo Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4al94DhYQg Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/K4al94DhYQg Generated: 2025-09-29T21:34:32.556+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The Angry Joe Show discusses EA's potential $50 billion leveraged buyout by Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, EA's alleged poor treatment of developers and shareholders, and Costco stopping the sale of Xbox consoles, concluding that EA's practices are financially driven and detrimental to game quality, contrasting this with good game development practices seen in other studios like Motive and the success of games like Palworld. **Key Points:** - EA is reportedly near a roughly $50 billion leveraged buyout deal by Saudi-backed private equity firms Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, which would take the company private. - The hosts criticize EA's business model, suggesting they prioritize short-term profit and microtransactions over game quality, leading to poor developer experiences and shareholder alienation. - Costco has reportedly stopped carrying Xbox consoles due to low sales, which the hosts suggest is due to poor game quality and lack of consumer interest in the current offerings. - The hosts praise other companies, like Motive Studio (for Dead Space Remake) and Pocketpair (for Palworld/Palfarm), for focusing on quality and player experience, contrasting them with EA's perceived greed. - The discussion briefly shifts to other gaming news, including the announcement of a Diablo 4 x StarCraft collaboration offering free cosmetics and the existence of NHL 25 and Palworld spinoffs. - The segment ends with the hosts expressing frustration over EA's perceived anti-consumer practices, particularly regarding microtransactions and leveraged buyouts hurting game development. ![Screenshot at 00:18: The hosts discuss the news that EA is nearing a $50 billion leveraged buyout deal, contrasting EA's business practices with those of other studios.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/K4al94DhYQg/00-00-18.png) **Context:** This episode of The Angry Joe Show features the hosts discussing several recent news items primarily focused on the business side of the video game industry, specifically concerning Electronic Arts (EA), Nintendo, and Costco's inventory choices. The hosts react strongly to reports of a massive leveraged buyout of EA, contrasting EA's alleged business practices with those of other studios that prioritize game quality and long-term player experience. ## Detailed Analysis The hosts begin by discussing the major news that Electronic Arts (EA) is close to being taken private in a roughly $50 billion leveraged buyout deal led by Saudi-backed private equity firms Silver Lake and Affinity Partners. They express strong skepticism about this move, arguing that EA's focus on maximizing short-term profits through tactics like microtransactions and aggressive monetization (citing examples from FIFA/EA Sports FC and NHL 25) harms customer relationships and studio culture. The hosts point out that large public companies like EA, when facing leveraged buyouts, often pressure studios to sell off assets or cut costs, which negatively impacts game quality, contrasting this with companies like Motive Studio (Dead Space Remake) and Pocketpair (Palworld/Palfarm) who they feel prioritize better, more innovative experiences. They also mention Costco reportedly pulling Xbox consoles from their shelves, suggesting this reflects poor consumer reception for the current generation of Xbox games. The discussion then pivots to other news, including the Diablo 4 x StarCraft collaboration, the existence of the Palworld spinoff 'Palfarm,' and the NHL 25 game, before concluding that EA's focus on financial engineering over product quality is detrimental to the industry. ### Sponsor Segment - The hosts briefly promote an advertisement for TravelPack luggage, highlighting its compression capabilities. ### EA Buyout News - EA nears a $50 billion leveraged buyout by Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, which the hosts view negatively due to EA's past practices. ### Criticism of EA's Business Model - The hosts criticize EA for prioritizing short-term profit and microtransactions over quality, citing examples like FIFA/EA Sports FC and NHL 25, and predicting negative consequences for employees and shareholders. ### Nintendo News - The hosts briefly note the retirement of Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser, praising his tenure but noting the company's strict anti-copyright stance. ### Palworld Spinoff News - Pocketpair announced 'Palfarm,' a cozy farm sim spinoff of Palworld, which the hosts find amusing given the original game's controversial elements. ### NHL 25 Discussion - The hosts review features and mechanics of NHL 25, specifically debating the X-Factors and the perceived negative impact of microtransactions in sports titles. ### Wrap-up and Outro - The segment concludes with the hosts reiterating their skepticism about EA's future under private ownership, followed by the show's outro graphics. ![Screenshot at 00:01: A finger interacts with a futuristic, hexagonal HUD displaying system loading and user data.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/K4al94DhYQg/00-00-01.png) ![Screenshot at 00:12: The three hosts \(left to right: unknown, Angry Joe, unknown\) are seated in their gaming chairs in front of the main screen.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/K4al94DhYQg/00-00-12.png) ![Screenshot at 00:18: The hosts react to an advertisement for TravelPack luggage, with one host holding up the product.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/K4al94DhYQg/00-00-18.png) ![Screenshot at 00:25: The video feed switches to show the product in use: a vacuum storage bag being filled with clothes.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/K4al94DhYQg/00-00-25.png) ![Screenshot at 00:38: The hosts react to the news about Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser retiring.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/K4al94DhYQg/00-00-38.png) ![Screenshot at 00:44: A clip from a Nintendo Direct featuring a presentation with Bowser and another executive.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/K4al94DhYQg/00-00-44.png) ![Screenshot at 01:12: The screen shows gameplay footage from Luigi's Mansion 3, featuring Luigi looking scared.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/K4al94DhYQg/00-01-12.png) ![Screenshot at 01:25: The screen displays the 'Diablo 4 x StarCraft' collaboration announcement with character art.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/K4al94DhYQg/00-01-25.png) ![Screenshot at 02:25: A news headline: 'Bowser to leave Nintendo' is displayed over a picture of Doug Bowser.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/K4al94DhYQg/00-02-25.png) ![Screenshot at 03:04: A title card for 'Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition' appears, announcing its release date on Nintendo Switch \(September 27, 2019\). A Japanese executive speaks in the background behind Bowser's image earlier in the clip, which is shown here again with the title card overlaying it near the start of this segment of the video. The hosts react to the Nintendo news segment with amusement, particularly Doug Bowser's name matching the character Bowser. The hosts then move to discussing the Palworld spinoff 'Palfarm,' showing gameplay footage of cute creatures farming in a bright, stylized world. The hosts then transition to discussing a major business story: EA's potential $50 billion leveraged buyout by Saudi-backed private equity firms Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, which they heavily criticize as a short-term, greedy move that hurts developers and gamers. They contrast this with other companies that focus on quality experiences, citing Motive Studio's Dead Space Remake and Palworld's success. The show ends with a segment reviewing NHL 25, showing gameplay and discussing the game's mechanics and monetization, followed by the Angry Joe Show end screen promoting merch and social media channels.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/K4al94DhYQg/00-03-04.png)