Gaming Development Giant Electronic Arts to be Acquired by Saudi Consortium

August 4th. According to a document released by the European Commission, the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), and an investor consortium have obtained EU approval to acquire global video game development giant Electronic Arts (EA) for $55 billion under the EU's foreign subsidy regulation. In another regulatory filing submitted last Thursday, EA confirmed that as of July 30th, it had received all necessary regulatory approvals and expected the transaction to close on August 4th.

In September 2025, EA announced that a final agreement had been reached for an all-cash transaction valuing the company at approximately $55 billion, to be acquired by an investor consortium comprising PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. Turqi Alnowaiser, PIF's Vice President and Head of International Investments, stated that PIF holds a unique position in the global gaming and esports sector and is committed to building and supporting an ecosystem that connects players, developers, and IP creators.

EA's announcement described the transaction as the "largest all-cash privatization acquisition deal in history." The buyers in this transaction include the Saudi Public Investment Fund, American Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. Notably, Affinity Partners is an investment firm established by President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in 2021, which has received significant funding from the Saudi side, while Silver Lake is a tech-focused investment firm. Therefore, this acquisition of EA is almost entirely led by Saudi-backed capital.