Electronic Arts goes private in historic $55 billion acquisition deal

Electronic Arts, the publisher behind the EA FC series, Sims, and others, has officially announced that it will be going private in one of the largest buyouts ever seen in the gaming industry.

The American video gaming giant entered into an acquisition agreement with an investor consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners, in an all-cash transaction valued at $55 billion.

Under the terms of the agreement, stockholders will receive $210 per share in cash, representing a 25% premium to EA’s unaffected share price. Once completed, this will mark the largest all-cash sponsor take-private investment in history, as officially confirmed.

Electronic Arts has found growth with its projects, with strong Q1 FY26 results

The Wall Street Journal first reported that EA is in advanced talks with a group of investors on Friday. For years, there have been rumours about EA being acquired, with names like Amazon and Disney linked to possible deals, and now, a deal has finally gone through.

Financially, EA has been in strong shape heading into this moment. In Q1 of FY26, the company reported $1.671 billion in net revenue and $1.298 billion in net bookings. EA’s stock also confirmed to hit an all-time high at $181.57, with a one-year return of 17.8%, which was $168.32 at market close on September 25, 2025.

Andrew Wilson, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Arts, expressed he is “more energized than ever about the future we are building“ and shared: “Looking ahead, we will continue to push the boundaries of entertainment, sports, and technology, unlocking new opportunities. Together with our partners, we will create transformative experiences to inspire generations to come.”

Turqi Alnowaiser, Deputy Governor and Head of International Investments at PIF stated: “PIF has demonstrated a strong commitment to these sectors, and this partnership will help further drive EA’s long-term growth, while fueling innovation within the industry on a global scale.”

“Electronic Arts is an extraordinary company with a world-class management team and a bold vision for the future. I’ve admired their ability to create iconic, lasting experiences, and as someone who grew up playing their games – and now enjoys them with his kids – I couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead,” said Jared Kushner, Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Partners.

Electronic Arts will close the transaction in Q1 FY27

However, speaking strictly mobile, while titles like FC Mobile continue to grow, the publisher has also shut down numerous games since last year, including MLB Tap Sports Baseball and F1 Mobile Racing.

For us players, the big question is whether this deal could lead to better long-term growth for EA’s games and bring us some new projects. The revival of Battlefield Mobile would be a good start, as there are already hints from EA, as they opened hiring for the Director of Performance Media role for Battlefield last month.

If all goes as planned, the transaction is expected to close in Q1 FY27, after which EA’s stock will no longer trade publicly. The company will remain headquartered in Redwood City, California, with Andrew Wilson continuing as CEO.

For now, it feels like a turning point, and I’m curious to see if EA uses this to make its games stronger, especially on mobile, where fans want more projects and console-like experiences, and hopefully, we get them.

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