US EditionWhat to Know About the Electronic Arts Buy Out and the Role of Donald Trump’s Son-in-Law Jared Kushner
The $55 billion deal makes EA the largest private equity acquisition in gaming, led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to boost innovation and market reach.
- Electronic Arts confirmed it will be bought by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners for close to $55 billion, transferring 100% ownership and offering shareholders $210 per share.
- PIF's prior purchases include a 9.9% stake in EA and acquisitions of Niantic for $3.5 billion, Scopely for $4.9 billion, and ESL FACEIT Group to serve over 420 million Arabic speakers.
- Financially, the buyout ranks among the largest gaming transactions ever as Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund financed it with a $20 billion loan, second only to Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition.
- Andrew Wilson will stay on as EA CEO, despite the 5% EA workforce cut in 2024, while investors and employees watch for possible further layoffs.
- The deal landed days before Battlefield 6's Oct. 10 release, puzzling analysts as Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, accused of sportswashing, secures favorable terms amid strong early reviews.
30 Articles
30 Articles
What Saudi Arabia’s role in the Electronic Arts buyout tells us about image, power and ‘game-washing’
Video game publisher Electronic Arts (EA), one of the biggest video game companies in the world behind games such as The Sims and Battlefield, has been sold to a consortium of buyers for US$55 billion (about A$83 billion). It is potentially the largest-ever buyout funded by private equity firms. Not AI, nor mining or banking, but video games. The members of the consortium include: Silver Lake Partners, an American private global equity firm focu…
On September 29, 2025, the management of one of the largest players in the company, Electronic Arts, announced the company's sale. The buyer is a consortium of investors, which includes the Sovereign Fund of Saudi Arabia, as well as Silver Lake and Agency Partners. 55 billion dollars for the company is one of the biggest deals in the game industry. If the deal is approved by regulators, it will be closed by mid-2026. "Meduza" explains why EA has…
Billion-dollar takeover: Saudi Arabia joins EA. What does that mean for "EA FC", Cristiano Ronaldo, German players like Nick Woltemade – and the fans?
Saudi fund leads investors in $55bn buyout of games maker Electronic
LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is leading a consortium of investors, including Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners and private equity firm Silver Lake, to acquire Electronic Arts, the popular video game developer, in an unprecedented $55 billion deal. The buyout will involve a combination of about $36 billion in cash, equity already held by the PIF, and about $20
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