Pixel P&L: EA's Saudi Deal Vote, Twitch Expansion

Welcome to another Pixel P&L edition. This issue takes 4 minutes to read. If you only have one, here are the 5 most important things:

• Electronic Arts shareholders vote December 22 on the $55 billion Saudi-backed takeover that would privatize the gaming giant.

• Twitch added 9 million new streamers in 2025, pushing its global creator base past 21 million.

• Dream Sports launches Dream Horizon, an open-source platform targeting startups with infrastructure built for massive scale.

• Pikmin Bloom surpasses $100 million in lifetime revenue, with 2025 marking its strongest year yet.

• Tencent halts Light of Motiram promotion ahead of Sony's copyright trial. 

Let's get into it.

Electronic Arts Shareholders to Vote on $55 Billion Saudi-Backed Takeover

Electronic Arts shareholders will vote December 22 on a proposed $55 billion privatization deal that would hand Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund majority control of the gaming giant.

The virtual meeting, scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time, will determine whether EA accepts $210 per share in cash from a consortium led by PIF, alongside Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, according to a November SEC filing.

The Wall Street Journal reported that PIF would own 93% of EA post-transaction, contributing approximately $29 billion toward the purchase price. EA's board has approved the September 28 proposal, targeting a first-quarter fiscal 2027 closing pending regulatory clearance. No country has yet granted antitrust approval.

The deal would privatize one of gaming's largest publishers, whose portfolio includes EA FC 26, Apex Legends, and Madden NFL. Affinity Partners, founded by Jared Kushner in 2021, and Silver Lake, with stakes in Unity and Broadcom, complete the investor group.

Twitch Adds 9 Million Streamers Globally as Platform Records Billions of Hours Watched in 2025

Twitch attracted 9 million new streamers worldwide in 2025, pushing its global creator base past 21 million active streamers while logging billions of hours watched, according to the platform's year-end statistics.

Athlete-tagged streams surged nearly 40% year-over-year, signaling growing crossover between traditional sports and gaming content. Globally, Grand Theft Auto V, Just Chatting, and League of Legends dominated viewership. 

Emerging titles like Marvel Rivals alongside established franchises including EA Sports FC 25 and World of Warcraft posted strong viewership gains in Britain. The statistics underscore Twitch's continued dominance in live-streaming despite increasing competition from YouTube and alternative platforms.

⚡️Quick Bytes

Dream Sports Launches Open-Source Platform Dream Horizon

Dream Sports, parent of fantasy platform Dream11, is open-sourcing its technology engine through Dream Horizon, a new software-as-a-service venture led by Dream11's Amit Garde as CEO. The platform offers development tools and infrastructure capable of handling 16 million concurrent users and 100,000 transactions per second—scale Dream11 built serving 300 million users over a decade. Dream Horizon targets startups across e-commerce, fintech, and healthtech sectors. The launch follows India's recent online gaming regulations that disrupted Dream Sports' core business, prompting diversification efforts.

Pikmin Bloom Surpasses $100 Million in Player Spending Four Years After Launch

Pikmin Bloom has exceeded $100 million in lifetime revenue since its 2021 debut, with 2025 marking its strongest year at $34.8 million, according to AppMagic data reported by PocketGamer. The mobile augmented reality game generated $8.4 million in year one, jumping 148% to $20.9 million in 2023 following Pikmin 4's Nintendo Switch release, which doubled monthly mobile installs. Revenue climbed to $33.4 million in 2024. Savvy Games Group subsidiary Scopely completed its $3.5 billion acquisition of Niantic's gaming business earlier this year, obtaining Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now.

Tencent Halts Light of Motiram Promotion Ahead of Sony Copyright Trial

Tencent has agreed to suspend all promotion and public testing of Light of Motiram while awaiting a preliminary injunction hearing in Sony's copyright lawsuit. The Chinese gaming giant will maintain the game's fourth-quarter 2027 release window until the case concludes. Sony sued Tencent in July, alleging the upcoming action game constitutes a "slavish clone" of its Horizon franchise, copying characters, narrative elements, and visual design. Both parties jointly requested briefing schedules, with a court hearing scheduled for January 29, 2026.

⚔️Side Quest

🤣Laugh:

📺 Watch: Veteran developers Jonas Tyroller and colleagues discuss how success definitions blur with experience, emphasizing intuition over formulas. They analyze Slots and Daggers' hit formula: combining proven addictive mechanics with strategic production shortcuts like coherent art styles and animation libraries. Key takeaway: creativity is remix-driven, requiring refined intuition in dopamine-saturated markets.

🎮 Play: Nine Parchments delivers chaotic spell-slinging co-op fun with gorgeous visuals and satisfying progression. Friendly fire adds hilarious tension whether cooperating or competing. Multiple spell types create exciting combos through coordination. Best experienced with friends via couch or remote co-op. 

📚 Read: Willa Rowe critiques Dispatch's identity crisis: the superhero narrative game undermines its strongest story (Robertson and Invisigal's redemption) by offering hollow choices. Romance options feel unbalanced, management segments lack consequences, and forced player agency weakens what could've worked better as a focused visual novel. Great performances hamstrung by poor design choices.

💡Did You Know

A Japanese game company is fighting AI art fraud the old-fashioned way: making candidates draw live like it's an audition for art school. After hiring applicants whose impressive portfolios turned out to be generative AI smoke and mirrors, chief designer "B" now watches hopefuls sketch on the spot. Welcome to 2025: where proving you can actually draw requires a performance art piece.

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