Electronic Arts, the company behind FIFA, Madden, The Sims, and Battlefield, is being sold in a blockbuster $55 billion deal. This will be the largest-ever private equity buyout in video game history, with the cast of buyers ranging from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to American private equity firm Silver Lake to Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners.
EA has for decades, shaped pop culture, sports fandom, and even language. Now, one of gaming’s most influential players is about to enter an entirely new chapter — privately owned, loaded with fresh capital, and under the watch of powerful global investors.
On September 28, 2025, EA announced that it had accepted an acquisition offer worth $55 billion, valuing its shares at $210 each. That price represented a 25% premium over the company’s stock price before whispers of the sale began swirling.
The deal is structured as a mix of equity and debt:Roughly $36 billion in equity came from the investor group, Around $20 billion in debt financing was arranged by JPMorgan Chase, with $18 billion expected to be used at closing.
Under the agreement, EA will be taken private, meaning its shares will no longer trade on public markets. Current shareholders will cash out, while the new owners will take control behind the scenes. The acquisition is expected to close in fiscal Q1 of 2027, pending regulatory and shareholder approval.
The buying consortium includes some very big and very different players:
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF): Already a 9.9% shareholder in EA before the deal, PIF is doubling down on gaming as part of its Vision 2030 plan to diversify away from oil. The fund also holds stakes in Activision Blizzard and Nintendo.
Silver Lake: A U.S.-based private equity firm with deep ties to the tech sector. Silver Lake has invested in companies like Dell, Airbnb, and UFC parent company Endeavor. Its role adds financial muscle and Silicon Valley credibility.
Affinity Partners: The investment firm founded by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump. While smaller in size compared to PIF and Silver Lake, Affinity’s involvement has added political intrigue to the deal.
Together, these players form a heavyweight group with money, influence, and a clear interest in the growing global gaming market.
To understand the scale of this deal, you have to appreciate what EA represents. Founded in 1982 by Trip Hawkins, Electronic Arts began as a scrappy startup pushing the idea that video games were an art form. Over the decades, it grew into a multi-billion-dollar empire, with studios across the world and some of the most successful franchises in gaming history
Sports dominance: EA Sports essentially owns the digital version of global football and American football. Its FIFA series (rebranded in 2023 as EA Sports FC) has sold over 325 million copies, while Madden NFL is a cultural institution in the U.S.
Simulation pioneers: The Sims, first launched in 2000, became one of the best-selling PC games ever and still commands a loyal fan base.
Blockbuster shooters: EA’s Battlefield series went head-to-head with Call of Duty, while Respawn Entertainment’s Apex Legends brought EA into the battle royale craze.
Licensing power: EA’s Star Wars games, particularly Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor, have been critical and commercial successes, proving its knack for turning pop culture into gameplay.
The acquisition still needs to clear regulatory hurdles in the U.S. and abroad, where antitrust authorities have grown increasingly wary of megadeals in gaming.
If approved, EA will delist from the stock exchange and quietly continue as a private company — though with billions in fresh capital and global investors eager for returns, “quiet” might not be the right word.
