Saudi Arabia to own almost all of EA under buyout plan, report says

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Reports suggest Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is planning to buy almost all of Electronic Arts, the popular video game company.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, a Saudi fund is set to acquire a 93.4% stake in Redwood City-based Electronic Arts (EA). The report, based on a filing with a Brazilian antitrust regulator, also indicates that private equity firm Silver Lake Partners would own 5.5% of EA, and Affinity Partners, led by Jared Kushner, would hold 1.1%.

EA, Silver Lake Partners, and Affinity Partners haven’t yet responded to requests for comment.

The proposed $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts, revealed in September, would be the largest leveraged buyout ever. If approved by regulators and shareholders, the deal is anticipated to be finalized next year.

Electronic Arts (EA) has announced a shareholder vote on a proposal this month. If passed, the vote would take the company – famous for games like “The Sims” and “Madden NFL” – private.

This acquisition attempt happens as the video game industry is seeing fewer large, independent companies and hasn’t been growing as quickly since the peak of pandemic gaming.

Video games are still widely played, and some game series have successfully become movies or TV shows. However, Electronic Arts (EA) hasn’t seen much revenue growth lately, staying between $7.4 and $7.6 billion for the past three years.

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2025-12-03 00:01