In a statement issued through the United Video Game Workers - Communications Workers of America (UVW-CWA), the union called on regulators in the US and abroad to scrutinise the buyout.

The union warned the acquisition of the Battlefield 6 studio would “further concentrate power and wealth into the hands of a few gatekeepers while doing nothing to address the concerns of players and workers”.

The union said: “EA is not a struggling company. With annual revenues reaching $7.5 billion and $1 billion in profit each year, EA’s success has been entirely driven by tens of thousands of EA workers whose creativity, skill, and innovation made EA worth buying in the first place.

“Yet we, the very people who will be jeopardized as a result of this deal, were not represented at all when this buyout was negotiated or discussed.”

Union leaders expressed concern that financing the deal could saddle EA with $20 billion in debt, leading to studio closures or layoffs “to pad investors’ pockets, not to strengthen the company”.

The petition, titled Make EA Better for Workers and Gamers - Not Billionaires, calls on players and lawmakers to back efforts ensuring “any path forward protects jobs, preserves creative freedom, and keeps decision-making accountable to the workers who make EA successful”.

The group’s message concluded: “The value of video games is in their workers. Organizing is the only way to ensure that the people who make games have a say in how they’re run.”