Headline Roundup • August 5th, 2026
Saudis, Silver Lake, Jared Kushner's Affinity Acquire Electronic Arts for $55 Billion
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners, and Silver Lake have purchased video game giant Electronic Arts (EA) and will take it private.
The Details: According to BBC News (Center bias), the deal is "thought to be the largest leveraged buyout in history." The total price tag is $55 billion, and $36 billion has already been put into it. The PIF will have to borrow an additional $20 billion from JPMorgan to complete the deal. Current shareholders will receive a $210 per share buyout, $31 above its all-time high of $179 per share.
Key Quotes: EA CEO Andrew Wilson said the deal recognizes EA's creative teams and "will create transformative experiences to inspire generations to come." Jared Kushner said, "Electronic Arts is an extraordinary company with a world-class management team and a bold vision for the future. I've admired their ability to create iconic, lasting experiences, and as someone who grew up playing their games - and now enjoys them with his kids - I couldn't be more excited about what's ahead."
Perspectives: BBC highlighted and reported a diverse array of perspectives in its coverage. Jason Schreier of Bloomberg (Center) speculated that the debt structure of the deal could lead to "mass layoffs, more aggressive monetization, and other big cost-cutting measures." Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Shams Jorjani said, "This deal is consolidation, no question - and I wonder whether new ownership optimises for the safe bet - more sequels, more mega-franchises - over that breadth… but if it turns EA into a sequel-and-mega-franchise machine, that's a real waste of one of the best catalogues in the industry." Advocacy group Players Alliance HQ, which says it stands against "corporate control" and "corporate greed" said, "With the PIF being the majority owner in the potential buyout, there is a large concern that creative decisions could be influenced by these outside factors, leading to themes such as free speech, gender, LGBTQI+ and other aspects of Western politics being reduced or fully censored across major franchises."
How The Media Covered It: ZeroHedge (Lean Right) was the only outlet from the right AllSides found coverage from. The publication offered perspectives from investors at "some of Wall Street's top desks." At the end of its coverage, BBC mentioned journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was a vocal critic of the Saudi government and was assassinated inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
More Context: In September, Saudi Arabia committed $38 billion to becoming a global hub for esports as part of its Vision 2030 initiative. On Monday, EA reported lower-than-expected Q2 revenues in the last quarter, blaming the slump on a decline in engagement with its popular title Battlefield.
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Featured Coverage of this Story
The sale of gaming giant Electronic Arts (EA) for $55bn (£41bn) to a group of buyers including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been finalised.
The American company is known for making and publishing best-selling games such as EA FC, formerly known as Fifa, The Sims and Mass Effect.
The investors, who include Affinity Partners - led by President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner - are taking EA private, meaning all of its public shares will be purchased and it will no longer be traded on a stock exchange.
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The Wall Street Journal's late Friday afternoon report, detailing the largest leveraged buyout (LBO) ever, which would take Electronic Arts (EA) private by private-equity giants, was confirmed by the video game company on Monday morning.
EA Games
Electronic Arts, the maker of video games such as The Sims, Madden NFL and Battlefield, has been bought by Saudi Arabia's wealth fund and a group of investors for $55bn (£41bn).
The company announced the completion of the deal on Tuesday evening, only days after the EU gave its approval, the final regulatory green light needed.
