Electronic Arts, the publisher behind FIFA, Madden, Apex Legends, and countless other big-name games, is reportedly about to make a huge move: going private.
According to reports from The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and Financial Times, EA could announce a deal worth as much as $50 billion as soon as next week. If it happens, it would be the largest leveraged buyout in history.
So who’s putting money on the table? Sources say Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners are all involved in the talks.
Interestingly, Saudi Arabia’s PIF already owns around 9% of EA, and it’s no stranger to gaming investments. It’s also linked to companies like Nintendo, Take-Two, Activision Blizzard, Capcom, and more through its Savvy Games Group.
The stock market definitely noticed the buzz. EA’s stock jumped about 15% on Friday, after sitting pretty flat for the past month. Investors clearly see the potential in this massive shift.
If the deal closes, it could reshape how EA operates, especially since being private means fewer eyes on quarterly reports and more freedom to make long-term moves. Whether that ends up being good for gamers is another question entirely.
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