Saudi investors could take over Electronic Arts
US media are reporting one of the biggest buyouts in history: EA could be delisted for 50 billion dollars.
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Three investor consortia could soon jointly take over Electronic Arts. This has been reported independently by the US business media, citing several unnamed persons who are said to be familiar with the process. The investment firm Silver Lake, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Affinity Partners are said to be at the centre of the leveraged buyout (LBO). The latter company is managed by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
According to the Financial Times, the deal could be announced as early as next Monday. The US financial newspaper also states that the valuation of Electronic Arts is expected to be 50 billion US dollars. Bloomberg also quotes the same figure. The Wall Street Journal first reported this. The potential takeover would therefore be the largest transaction in the gaming industry, behind Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard in 2023 for USD 69 billion.
In contrast, EA could disappear from the stock markets entirely as a result of the buyout. Investors have been delighted so far: the share price rose by 15 per cent at times following the initial reports and is at an all-time high of around USD 193 at the time of writing. Like all major games publishers, Electronic Arts hasclosed down studios and projects and made thousands of employees redundant in recent years following the hype in the gaming industry during the coronavirus pandemic. This has fuelled takeover rumours ever since.
EA could fall to the Saudi royal family
Saudi investors play a central role in the current, alleged plans of EA management. The state fund PIF is already one of EA's largest shareholders and is also behind Affinity Partners. The PIF has also invested heavily in other areas of gaming, not just publishers. For example, a subsidiary of the PIF bought the German ESL, the Electronic Sports League, in 2022.
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Saudi Arabia itself has also been organizing the Esports World Cup since 2024, an international tournament with previously unknown prize money totalling USD 70 million, most recently in 2025. Following the Men's World Cup in 2022, the Kingdom is also repeatedly accused of "sportswashing" at the gaming level –, i.e. trying to put itself in a good light by organizing international tournaments.
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