EA Says Saudi Takeover Deal Is Set To Close Next Week

The news comes just after the deal was approved by the European Union. The $55 billion deal is among the biggest ever seen in the gaming industry and will see EA–which has long been a publicly traded company–be taken private.

Alongside Saudi Arabia, which is involved in the deal through its controversial Public Investment Fund, the other partners are private-equity firm Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, which was founded by Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The buyout comes during a particularly tumultuous time for EA, which has seen several mass layoffs and canceled projects in recent years. Much of its resources have been funneled into a few key franchises, particularly Battlefield. Critics remain concerned that the Saudi government’s involvement could influence the themes and values present in EA’s games, perhaps most prominently in The Sims series, but that remains to be seen.

Most recently, EA CEO Andrew Wilson was given a massive pay increase despite laying off many of the people responsible for his company’s successful games. The deal will also saddle the newly private company with a tremendous amount of debt, and it’s unclear how that will be addressed.