The acquisition by a group of investors is complete. Electronic Arts is now becoming a private company and is pulling out of the stock market. But what does this mean for the games?
Who owns EA now? The deal between Electronic Arts and other investors is now complete, as reported on Business Wire. EA now belongs to the following different groups:
- 93.4% goes to the Public Investment Fund (PIF) from Saudi Arabia
- 5.5% is now owned by Silver Lake
- Over 1.1% belongs to Affinity Partners
The smallest shareholder, Affinity Partners, is owned by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of current US President Donald Trump.
Silver Lake, on the other hand, is one of the world’s leading US-based private equity firms that focuses almost exclusively on large-scale investments in the technology, media, and digital sectors.
The PIF, on the other hand, is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. It is under the direct control of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
What amount has changed hands? The shareholders have spent $55 billion for the purchase, which is approximately 48 billion euros. This makes it the second-largest deal in gaming history. Only the deal between Microsoft and Activision was budgeted higher at $68.7 billion.
Buyers talk about the future of video games
What does this mean for games? Egon Durban, the CEO of Silver Lake, talks about EA’s future game development. He announces plans to invest massively in EA’s growth, including how artificial intelligence can be used to improve game development and the player experience. Therefore, it can be expected that heavily supported AI mechanics will be found in future EA titles.
Additionally, it can be expected that EA’s valuable brands will be strengthened in the future. This includes EA Sports FC and Battlefield. So far, there has been no mention of any studios being closed or sold.
However, there are skeptical voices. Patrick “Trick” Weekes, the former lead writer of Bioware, published a fictional dialogue between the buyers and EA management on the platform Blue Sky at the end of September 2025:
Buyer: “So your games… guns and soccer, right?”
EA: “Mmhmm, mmhmm, mostly guns and soccer, yep.”
Buyer: “No gay stuff? No politics that we won’t like?”
EA: “Haha, definitely not! Hey, give me a second? I just need to close a studio real quick.”
He believes that games like The Sims and Dragon Age may be discontinued in the future because they contain themes from the LGBTQ spectrum. What do you think? Do such games have a chance to survive under the new owners? Let us know in the comments.
EA Sports FC 26 is currently experiencing a new wave of popularity. Since the sports game is released annually, the current installment may not be as relevant to many players in the future. So it’s nice if gamers take one last look: EA Sports FC 26 suddenly has 159,000 players on Steam, attracting one last time before it is laid to rest
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