Highlights
- Electronic Arts (EA) shareholders approved the $55B buyout, sending the deal to U.S. regulators.
- The offer values EA at $210 per share, up from $174.04 before the deal was announced.
- Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) will take control if the acquisition closes.
Shareholders of Electronic Arts (EA) have approved the company’s proposed $55 billion USD acquisition by a private investor consortium that includes Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), clearing the deal’s final internal hurdle. The vote sends the transaction into regulatory review, where U.S. authorities now hold the deciding power.
According to Bloomberg, shareholders will receive $210 per share under the agreement. Before the deal was announced in September 2025, EA shares were trading at $174.04. The stock closed at $203.79 following the approval, signaling market confidence that the transaction is likely to proceed.
Electronic Arts’ $55B Acquisition Enters Regulatory Review
The buyer group consists of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake Capital, and Affinity Partners. If completed, the transaction would be the largest take-private deal in the video game industry and is expected to close in the first quarter of EA’s 2027 financial year, by June 30, 2026.
Once finalized, the Public Investment Fund will hold a 93.4% stake in EA and, through its additional holdings in Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, would effectively exercise control over the publisher.
Meanwhile, EA chief executive Andrew Wilson is expected to remain in his role after the acquisition, and the company has stated it will “maintain creative control” and uphold its mission, values, and player-first focus even under new ownership, though ultimate strategic direction will lie with the new majority owner.
At the time the deal was announced, Wilson said EA’s teams had “built some of the world’s most iconic IP” and that the company would continue pushing into entertainment, sports, and technology alongside its new partners. In later communications to staff, he emphasized that EA’s mission, values, and creative control would remain unchanged under new ownership.
Regulatory scrutiny now represents the primary obstacle, with Affinity Partners, the U.S. investment firm founded by Jared Kushner, part of the buyer consortium, likely to draw added attention in Washington amid broader concerns over foreign ownership and Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in U.S. media and technology.
The outcome of the review will determine whether one of the most significant ownership shifts in the video game industry moves forward.
