Saudi-led investor group completes $55bn purchase of Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (EA), the studio behind The Sims, Madden NFL, Battlefield and EA Sports FC, has been acquired in a $55bn (£41bn) deal led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and private equity partners. The company confirmed late Tuesday that the transaction had closed, days after receiving final regulatory approval from the European Union. The buyout takes EA private and ends its 36-year history as a listed company.

Alongside PIF, the investor group includes Affinity Partners, the firm founded by Jared Kushner, and Silver Lake Partners. In a statement, Kushner said the investors were eager to support EA as it reaches new audiences and expands how people connect through play. Saudi Arabia has been steadily increasing its footprint in gaming and esports, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has a well-known personal interest in video games.

EA was founded in 1982 by William 'Trip' Hawkins, a former Apple employee who had been an avid player of tabletop sports games in his youth. The company has been led by chief executive Andrew Wilson since 2013. Its annual revenue has remained largely flat in recent years, hovering between $7.4bn and $7.6bn, as competition has intensified from mobile-focused studios such as Epic Games. One of EA's biggest competitors, Activision Blizzard, was itself acquired by Microsoft for nearly $69bn in 2023.

Going private means EA will no longer have to publish quarterly financial reports, which analysts say can reduce pressure to hit short-term targets. However, such takeovers often lead to cost-cutting and layoffs. No such plans have been announced for EA, but the company cut around 5% of its workforce in 2024, had about 14,500 employees as of March 2025, and shed several hundred more jobs in May. On Monday, EA reported weaker-than-expected quarterly revenue, attributing the shortfall to lower engagement with its latest Battlefield title.