Electronic Arts has announced that it has obtained all required regulatory approvals for its impending sale to a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and private equity firms Silver Lake Partners and Affinity Partners. The company anticipates the merger to be finalized by the close of trading on August 4, 2026.
This development, detailed in a recent filing, indicates that the $55 billion acquisition is highly likely to proceed as planned. While final customary closing conditions must still be met or waived, the acquisition is poised to move forward.
The acquiring group includes the Saudi Arabia PIF, which has been a significant investor in the gaming sector, acquiring stakes in companies like Nintendo, Activision Blizzard, and Take-Two Interactive, and completing full acquisitions of Scopely and Niantic. Affinity Partners is a private equity firm owned by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law.
This transaction marks the second-largest acquisition in video game history, surpassed only by Microsoft's $75.4 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard in 2023. Upon completion, EA will be taken private, meaning its financial disclosures will no longer be publicly available.
Andrew Wilson is expected to continue as CEO following the sale, and the company will maintain its headquarters in California. The impact of this acquisition on EA's global workforce, which has experienced numerous layoffs across studios such as BioWare and DICE in recent years, remains unclear. Wilson himself received an $8 million bonus for the company's performance in the past fiscal year.