Electronic Arts has completed a $55 billion sale that takes the company private, making it the second-largest transaction in gaming history.
The new ownership group comprises Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake Partners and Affinity Partners, the private-equity firm founded and owned by Jared Kushner, who is President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
EA confirmed the completion of the acquisition in a press release featuring statements from representatives of all three investors. Kushner said Affinity wanted to help EA reach new audiences, support the next generation of creators and broaden the ways people connect through play.
PIF executive Turqi Alnowaiser said the fund had been a minority investor in EA for more than five years and was familiar with the company’s global sports properties, gaming franchises and intellectual property. He described entertainment and sport as strategic growth areas, presenting the consortium as a long-term partner for EA’s management.
Silver Lake chief executive and managing partner Egon Durban highlighted EA’s creative workforce and major franchises. He said the investment would support growth, including the use of artificial intelligence in game development and player experiences, while working with EA’s leadership to improve the company for its audience.
For readers following the wider arcade and gaming industry, the ownership change could have consequences beyond EA’s console and PC releases.
Saudi Arabia will hold the dominant stake
Although the buyers are described as a consortium, a report published late last year stated that the PIF will own 93 percent of EA when the transaction closes. The PIF is Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, operated under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with current total estimated assets of $900 billion.
Its stated purpose is to support projects that strengthen Saudi Arabia’s national economy. In gaming, the fund has been involved in the acquisitions of Scopely, Niantic, SNK and EVO, as well as investments in Nintendo, Take-Two Interactive and other companies.
That expanding investment footprint is relevant to anyone tracking how major publishers, game properties and entertainment businesses are financed. It also provides broader context for the commercial forces shaping modern arcade machines and gaming hardware.
What private ownership could mean for EA
The acquisition was first announced last September and subsequently received approval from EA shareholders and the required regulators. Critics and analysts have nevertheless raised concerns about the company’s future direction.
Credit-rating agencies were reported to be considering negative reassessments of EA after the deal. Analysts have also questioned whether the new structure could put studios such as BioWare at risk. As a private company, EA will no longer hold public earnings calls, making information about its performance and decisions less accessible.
That reduced visibility matters across the games business, where studio closures, publisher strategy and investment priorities can affect developers, players and the long-term life of major franchises. It is a useful reminder for anyone researching the industry through an arcade machine buying guide that hardware sits within a much larger entertainment ecosystem.
Human-rights concerns surround the deal
The transaction has also attracted criticism because of Saudi Arabia’s human-rights record. Amnesty International has pointed to the country’s record number of executions in a recent year, reports of prisoner torture, restrictions on freedom of expression and association, discrimination against women in law and practice, and the criminalisation of same-sex relationships and other LGBTQ+ activities.
Employees speaking to press and players have voiced anger about the ownership change. The criticism has particular resonance around The Sims, an EA series known for its positive representation of women and LGBTQ+ people.
Questions around Affinity Partners
Affinity Partners is wholly owned by Kushner, and a substantial portion of its funding came from the PIF. The Saudi fund invested $2 billion in the fund soon after Kushner left the White House at the end of Donald Trump’s first term.
Kushner and Affinity Partners are currently under investigation by the House Judiciary Committee over alleged conflicts of interest involving Kushner’s activities under the current Trump administration.
He is also serving as a “Special Envoy for Peace” in the Middle East. Critics have alleged that he improperly connected his diplomatic influence in US policy with the substantial sovereign-wealth funding he raised, particularly from Saudi Arabia.
EA’s new private ownership therefore combines a major gaming acquisition with questions about transparency, human rights, corporate governance and the future of some of the industry’s best-known franchises.
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