EA Has Officially Agreed To A Historic Buyout
Electronic Arts, the publisher behind some of the biggest games on PC, is officially being taken over by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Shareholders have voted overwhelmingly in favor of the deal, clearing the first major hurdle in a buyout worth around 55 billion dollars.
The vote was nowhere near close. More than 201 million votes backed the acquisition, while only about 1.9 million opposed it and roughly 90,000 abstained. A separate vote on executive compensation tied to the deal was also heavily in favor, which means EA’s leadership is set to receive substantial payouts once everything is finalized.
This transaction will take EA private, with existing shareholders being bought out at 210 dollars per share. That is about a 25 percent premium over EA’s share price at the close of September 25, 2025. Financially, this is not just a big deal for gaming; it is the largest leveraged buyout in history.
For PC gamers, this raises big questions about what happens to EA’s huge lineup of franchises, from FIFA and Madden style sports games to series like Battlefield, Apex Legends, The Sims, Dragon Age and more.
Why This Buyout Is So Massive And So Risky
Calling this the largest leveraged buyout ever is not just a piece of trivia. It points to how heavily this deal is built on borrowing. To get the 55 billion dollar deal over the line, the consortium is taking on around 20 billion dollars in loans. That debt sits on EA’s shoulders once the transaction is complete.
In simple terms, a leveraged buyout uses large amounts of borrowed money to purchase a company. The acquired company then carries the debt and has to generate enough cash to pay it back over time. If growth slows, revenue dips or interest rates rise, that debt becomes a major risk.
For a gaming giant like EA, that pressure can translate into changes that players feel directly, such as:
- Even stronger focus on live service titles and aggressive monetization to maximize cash flow.
- More sequels and safer franchises instead of experimental or niche PC projects.
- Cost cutting on development, support or smaller studios if the owners push to protect profits.
The one thing that softens that threat is the financial backing behind the deal. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and its related gaming arm Savvy Games Group have access to huge amounts of capital and are investing heavily in gaming for strategic and image focused reasons, not just for short term profit.
But that is a double edged sword. It means EA might be protected from short term market shocks, yet it also ties one of PC gaming’s biggest publishers more tightly to the political and reputational goals of the Saudi state.
Saudi Arabia’s Growing Power In Gaming
This EA acquisition is not an isolated move. Over the past few years the Saudi Public Investment Fund and Savvy Games Group have been buying shares and stakes in many well known gaming and tech companies. Their portfolio has included or targeted names like Capcom, Embracer Group, ESL, Nexon, Nintendo and Take Two, along with high profile sports assets such as Newcastle United Football Club and the LIV Golf tour.
The strategy is often described as sportswashing. The idea is to invest in globally popular entertainment and sports to reshape international perceptions and soften criticism of the Saudi government’s human rights record.
With EA under its umbrella, the PIF is not just a background investor. It becomes the controlling force behind a company whose games reach hundreds of millions of players worldwide, especially on PC and consoles. That raises concerns about:
- How much creative independence EA studios will really have once the deal closes.
- Whether certain themes, partnerships or narratives could be quietly influenced for political reasons.
- What it means when a single state backed fund has deep stakes across so many different parts of the global gaming ecosystem.
Regulatory approval is still required before the deal can close, but given the political ties involved, many observers expect it to go through. The PIF is headed by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia. One of the minority stakeholders, Affinity Partners, is owned by Jared Kushner, son in law of former US president Donald Trump. That network of connections makes serious pushback from regulators seem unlikely.
What This Could Mean For Future PC Games
EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson is expected to remain in charge after the takeover. He has already claimed that EA’s values will remain unchanged under the new ownership. From a gamer’s perspective, though, there are several things to watch over the next few years.
First is how EA treats its biggest PC franchises. Live service games like Apex Legends and ongoing sports titles are likely to remain central, potentially with even stronger pushes toward in game purchases and recurring revenue. Major single player projects like future Dragon Age or Mass Effect titles might face tougher internal scrutiny if the new owners prioritize predictable returns over creative risk.
Second is how EA handles smaller or more experimental projects. Under the weight of 20 billion dollars in debt, every studio and every game will be judged by how much it contributes to servicing that load. That can make it harder for unusual indie style experiments within EA to survive.
Third is how the broader industry responds. When one of the biggest third party publishers is taken private by a state backed fund, other giants will react. We could see more consolidation, defensive mergers or rival investments as companies and governments try to keep up or counterbalance Saudi influence.
For PC players, the real impact will show up quietly over time. It will be in which games get greenlit or cancelled, how aggressively they are monetized, how long they are supported, and how much room remains for creative risk inside a publisher now tied closely to both massive debt and geopolitical strategy.
For now, EA’s games will not change overnight. But behind the scenes, the forces shaping the future of those games just became much larger, and much more complicated, than ever before.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/electronic-arts-shareholders-vote-overwhelmingly-in-favor-of-saudi-led-takeover/
