The blockbuster buyout of Electronic Arts has been completed, with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund taking ownership of the gaming giant in the biggest leveraged buyout (LBO) in the history of commerce.
The $55 billion deal includes billions in debt for EA, which has prompted fears of massive cost-cutting with projected layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations. Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, however.
“This moment recognizes the extraordinary people whose creativity, ambition, and passion have made EA one of the world’s leading interactive entertainment companies,” said EA CEO Andrew Wilson in the official announcement. “We’re entering this next chapter from a position of strength with partners who share our vision and ambition. Together, we’ll invest boldly, accelerate innovation, and build the next generation of games and experiences for the hundreds of millions of players and fans who inspire us every day.”
“Entertainment and sports are key areas of strategic focus for PIF, and are among the fastest growing and evolving sectors around the world,” added PIF Deputy Governor and Head of International Investments Turqi Alnowaiser. “Together, the Consortium is uniquely positioned to be a long-term partner to EA’s management team in driving sustained growth and innovation for EA and the industry.”
The PIF is buying EA alongside Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s private equity firm Affinity Partners and investment company Silver Lake. The company’s co-CEO, Egon Durban, was previously on the board of directors at the gaming company Unity.
EA announced the buyout back in September 2025, but it didn’t close until today, August 4, due to the regulatory approval process. It was due to close earlier, but after Europe approved it in July, that set the stage for it to finally do so.
PIF previously had a 9.9% stake in EA, and that’s getting rolled into this deal. EA stockholders will get $210/share as part of the buyout, which represents a tidy 25% premium over the company’s stock price on the last full day before the deal came to light and subsequently sent the price soaring. Now that the deal is done, EA is being removed from the public stock market. And with that, we’ll have much less insight into how EA is operating from a financial perspective.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson will remain CEO of the company, but it remains to be seen how long he may stick around. He became CEO in 2013 and has overseen a period of massive growth for EA, as the stock was trading around $27 when he became CEO. His remuneration has grown as well, with the latest company filings revealing Wilson was paid $38 million in total compensation in the previous fiscal year. In that same year, EA laid off many developers, including people who worked on the successful FPS Battlefield 6.
