Jared Kushner, former President Donald Trump's son-in-law, reportedly engaged in playing video games with Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, prior to their involvement in a massive $55 billion leveraged buyout of video game giant Electronic Arts (EA).
This detail emerged from a profile in The New Yorker, which details Kushner's diplomatic and business dealings. According to the report, Kushner, who is described as enjoying video games with MBS, facilitated a meeting between the Crown Prince and EA CEO Andrew Wilson. The meeting, which reportedly involved a round of golf, took place in Neom, Saudi Arabia's futuristic city under construction.
Following this interaction, MBS allegedly assembled a consortium, including Affinity, to acquire EA. This transaction has been characterized as the largest leveraged buyout in history. The deal, however, raised potential regulatory concerns due to EA's handling of significant user data. While the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, composed largely of Trump administration officials, reviewed the deal, the President held the final authority. The acquisition was reportedly approved.
The circumstances surrounding the deal's initiation have been highlighted as notable, with the report suggesting a casual pathway from online interaction to a monumental business transaction. It points to an online party chat leading to a meeting between EA's CEO and MBS, culminating in the $55 billion sale. This deal has placed EA under substantial debt, potentially leading to extensive cost-cutting measures.
Further complicating the landscape of Saudi Arabia's gaming ventures, Savvy Games Group, another major gaming company associated with the country, is reportedly uncertain about the future organization of its publishing operations. This adds a layer of ambiguity to the broader integration and strategy within the kingdom's expanding gaming sector.