On a Tuesday evening this week, Electronic Arts ceased to exist as a publicly traded company. The $55 billion deal — completed just days after the European Union granted the final regulatory approval required — brings together an unlikely coalition of buyers: Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake Partners, and Affinity Partners, the private equity firm run by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

For a company that William "Trip" Hawkins founded in a California garage in 1982, having previously worked at Apple, the transaction marks one of the most consequential ownership changes in the history of the games industry. The strategic logic behind the acquisition is inseparable from Riyadh's broader ambitions. Saudi Arabia's PIF has spent several years assembling stakes across video games, esports, professional golf, and football, reflecting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's well-documented enthusiasm for gaming culture. EA, which generates annual revenues of between $7.

4 billion and $7.6 billion — a figure that has barely moved in recent years — offers the fund a globally recognised portfolio of franchises. Its closest rival, Activision Blizzard, was absorbed by Microsoft for nearly $69 billion in 2023, a deal that raised the competitive pressure on EA considerably. Analysts point to two immediate consequences of the transition to private ownership.

First, EA will no longer be obliged to publish quarterly financial results, removing the short-term earnings pressure that critics argue distorts strategic decision-making. Second, history suggests that privatisations of this scale are frequently followed by cost reductions; EA had already cut roughly 5 percent of its workforce in 2024 and eliminated several hundred further positions in May 2025, leaving a headcount of approximately 14,500.