EA to go private in $55B buyout led by Saudi PIF

Electronic Arts said on Monday it has reached an agreement to be acquired in a $55 billion leveraged buyout by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, along with private equity firm Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, an investment firm founded by Jared Kushner. The transaction would take the company private after more than three decades as a public company and remains subject to regulatory approvals before it can close.

EA said the deal is expected to be completed in the 2027 fiscal year and will require customary regulatory reviews. The company also said CEO Andrew Wilson will remain in place and that its headquarters will stay in Redwood City, California. The agreement, however, is not final and EA signaled that operations and games will continue under current plans for the near term.

Reports accompanying the announcement say the buyout will leave EA with roughly $20 billion in debt as part of the financing structure. Analysts and industry insiders say the size and leverage of the transaction increase the likelihood that the new owners will press for cost savings or strategic changes once the deal closes, though no specific restructuring plans have been...