Electronic Arts’ buyout is complete. EA announced on August 4, 2026, that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake and Affinity Partners had closed their acquisition of the video-game publisher. The agreed cash consideration was $210 per share, and EA’s definitive-agreement announcement put the transaction’s enterprise value at approximately $55 billion—not the earlier near-$50-billion shorthand.
What happened to EA, and when did the deal close?
EA announced the definitive agreement on September 29, 2025. After stockholders approved it at a special meeting on December 22, 2025, the company announced completion on August 4, 2026. EA said its common stock had ceased trading and would be delisted from Nasdaq after closing. EA’s completion announcement
The transaction was therefore no longer pending as of the completion announcement. The proposal-stage regulatory approvals, stockholder vote and customary closing conditions described in EA’s proxy materials were conditions to be met before closing, not evidence that the acquisition remained open afterward. EA’s proxy materials
Why is the deal described as $55 billion rather than $50 billion?
The near-$50-billion wording is an earlier approximation. EA’s September 2025 definitive-agreement announcement stated an enterprise value of approximately $55 billion. Enterprise value is a transaction-level valuation; it is not the same figure as the cash paid for each share. EA’s definitive-agreement announcement
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Under the agreement, stockholders were to receive $210 in cash for each share. EA described that price as a 25% premium to its unaffected closing price of $168.32 on September 25, 2025. Its August 2026 completion release confirmed payment of $210 per share held at closing. The enterprise-value estimate and per-share consideration answer different questions and should not be treated as interchangeable measures of the deal.
Who acquired Electronic Arts?
The buyer was a consortium of three investors:
- Public Investment Fund (PIF): Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. PIF Deputy Governor and Head of International Investments Turqi Alnowaiser said at closing that PIF had been a minority investor in EA for more than five years.
- Silver Lake: An investment firm whose CEO and Managing Partner, Egon Durban, said the consortium planned to invest in EA’s growth, including exploring AI’s potential in game development and player experience.
- Affinity Partners: The investment firm founded by Jared Kushner, who was identified in EA’s completion announcement as its CEO.
EA’s release described Silver Lake as having approximately $114 billion in combined assets under management and committed capital, and Affinity Partners as having over $6 billion under management. Those are descriptions of the firms overall, not disclosures of their individual contributions to the EA transaction. EA did not specify each consortium member’s share of the acquisition in the cited announcements. EA’s completion announcement
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How was the transaction financed?
EA’s announced financing figures describe different components and are approximate. The company said the transaction involved approximately $36 billion in equity investment, including PIF’s rollover of its existing stake, alongside $20 billion in committed debt financing from JPMorgan Chase Bank. EA said $18 billion of that debt was expected to be funded at closing. These figures are not an exact arithmetic breakdown of the approximately $55 billion enterprise value. EA’s financing announcement
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What could the change in ownership mean for EA games?
EA and consortium representatives described future investment, innovation and growth as goals. CEO Andrew Wilson said EA and its new owners would “invest boldly” and work to build the next generation of games and experiences. Durban specifically mentioned AI as an area of potential investment. These are statements about intended direction, not confirmed changes to particular franchises, release plans or game-development teams.
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- Standard Edition for Xbox Series X (disc) includes the full EA SPORTS College Football 27 game. Not compatible with Xbox One.
- DYNASTY BLUEPRINT – Control your program’s future with recruiting, NIL, staff, facilities, and Athletic Director Expectations..
- ROAD TO GLORY – Build your player, explore new positions, earn NIL deals, chase the Heisman, and raise your Legacy Score.
- MASCOT MASHUP – Play as your favorite mascot, collect 120+ icons, and compete in wild 11-on-11 matchups full of school spirit.
EA’s completion announcement also included forward-looking-statement cautions: projections depend on assumptions, are not guarantees of future performance and may differ materially from actual results. The announced deal terms establish who owns EA and how shareholders were paid; they do not establish what future games will look like. EA reported approximately $7.5 billion in GAAP net revenue for fiscal year 2026 in the same release, a company-reported historical figure rather than a forecast of post-acquisition performance. EA’s completion announcement
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- Standard Edition for PlayStation 5 (disc) includes the full EA SPORTS Madden NFL 27 game. Experience authentic NFL gameplay with Franchise mode, Superstar Career, and Ultimate Team.
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