“It’s in the game.” But will it stay the same under Saudi ownership?
Electronic Arts (EA) has long been a household name.
The studio gave birth to a wide range of games for different audiences, from “Madden NFL” for sports fans, “Battlefield” and “Apex Legends” for action lovers, to “The Sims” for simulation enthusiasts.
The company built its legacy on one promise: interactive entertainment.
Now, EA is preparing to play under new ownership.
$55-billion buyout
As confirmed on September 29, 2025, a group of private investors made up of Saudi Arabia’s $1-trillion Public Investment Fund (PIF), Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, and private equity firm Silver Lake agreed to buy the video game developer at a whopping $55 billion, with $36 billion in cash and $20 billion in debt financed by JPMorgan, the company said in its press release.
EA said in its statement that the deal values the company at $210 per share – a 25% premium over its trading price before the news broke.
CEO Andrew Wilson is expected to remain in position until the deal becomes official in the first quarter of fiscal 2027.
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What’s in it for Saudi Arabia?
The move is part of the kingdom’s bid to diversify its investments under the “Vision 2030,” placing its bets on the ever-growing video game industry.
Aside from EA, PIF already holds stakes in Activision Blizzard (“Call of Duty,” “World of Warcraft” and “Diablo”), Capcom (“Resident Evil,” “Monster Hunter” and “Street Fighter”), and Take-Two Interactive (“Grand Theft Auto,” “NBA 2K” and “Red Dead Redemption”).
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Will it change the game?
The transition, Wilson says, will not affect the dev teams, branding, and the global publishing operations.
After all, with the scale of its most popular franchises, analysts note that it would make sense to keep them on track – the studio is already preparing to release “Battlefield 6.”
Some observers suggest that going private could allow more flexibility in development and distribution.
However, concerns are now arising over the human rights record of the kingdom.
Industry observers are keeping their eyes on how the ownership could impact decisions regarding content, censorship policies, or representation.
Human rights groups have criticised the deal, describing it as a form of “sportswashing.”
While speculation is mounting, answers may not come until the deal formally closes.
The future of one of the industry’s giants may look very different from the last level.
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