Gaming giant Electronic Arts bought in unprecedented $55bn deal

Electronic Arts (EA), one of the largest game companies in the world, made an agreement to sell the company to $ 55 billion (£ 41 billion).

The consortium of the buyers is the Afinity Partners of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake and Jared Kushner.

EA is known to make the best -selling games such as EA FC, known as FIFA, Sims and Mass Effect.

It is understood that a significant amount of the purchase process is financed by borrowing is the largest leverage purchase.

The agreement will receive EA -specific – so all public shares will be purchased and no longer traded on a stock market.

The purchasing price values ​​$ 210 per share by bringing a significant 25% premium to EA’s market value.

Andrew Wilson, the EA boss, who will stay in the Post, said that this is a “strong recognition of the company’s work.

“Together with our partners, we will create transformative experiences to inspire future generations,” he said.

EA -buying companies will contribute approximately 36 billion dollars and the remaining amount will be financed by loans.

It is a great purchase of a company that has been synonymous with the game industry for more than 40 years.

At that time, EA is responsible for some of the largest game series in history. Football titles currently known as EA FC have sold 325 million copies since the first version of 1993.

Sims sold more than 200 million copies and needs more than 150 million speeds.

But he was also the publisher of many other popular titles – the commonly preferred for games in the Harry Potter and James Bond series in the past.

The purchase will be a big game feather on the cover of Saudi Arabia, which has increased its presence in the sector in recent years.

In March 2025, the country’s investment fund paid $ 3.5 billion to buy Niantic’s game section – Hit Mobile Mobile game controlled Pokémon Go.

The purchase became part of the Scopely Inc – Monopoly GO makers, which was purchased by PIF Yuvalı Savvy Games Group for $ 4.9 billion in 2023.

Saudi Arabia has made waves in the ESports industry, which hosts major tournaments, including the Esports World Cup, and will also host the planned Olympic ESports games of 2027.

The country already has shares in other major game companies such as Nintendo and Take-Two Interactive, but EA points out an important extension of purchasing access.

The PIF has hundreds of billions of assets due to oil wealth, and the government is controlled by the prince of the country, who is accused of violations of human rights.

The 2019 UN report said, “The State of Saudi Arabia is responsible for the death of a journalist Jamal Khashoggi who criticized the country’s government.

Saudi Arabia has always rejected it.