More than 40 US Democrats call for a 'thorough investigation' of EA's Saudi-led buyout over risks of layoffs, studio closures, and 'coordinated anti-labor practices'

Attendees gather in front of an Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) logo displayed on a screen during the company's EA Play event ahead of the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Saturday, June 10, 2017. EA revealed two new titles along with the annual iterations of the company's sports games, as well as unveiling the highly anticipated "Star Wars: Battlefront II" open-world multiplayer gameplay. Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Three months after US senators Richard Blumenthal and Elizabeth Warren expressed "profound concern about the foreign influence and national security risks" that could result from the Saudi-led takeover of Electronic Arts, 46 House Democrats have joined the chorus with a letter calling on FTC chair Andrew Ferguson to "carefully scrutinize" the proposed takeover.

The letter's signatories, led by Labor Caucus co-chairs Steven Horsford, Debbie Dingell, Mark Pocan, and Donald Norcross, say they have "serious concerns" that the acquisition will lead to layoffs, studio closures, wage suppression, and an unwelcome concentration of sports and entertainment brand ownership that could lead to "anticompetitive coordination."