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EA Announces Completion of Acquisition by PIF, Silver Lake and Affinity Parters as New Owners Commit to AI

EA Announces Completion of Acquisition by PIF, Silver Lake and Affinity Parters as New Owners Commit to AI

With the transaction now complete, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund owns a 93.4 percent stake in EA.

Written by Manas Mitul | Updated: 5 August 2026 12:05 IST

EA Announces Completion of Acquisition by PIF, Silver Lake and Affinity Parters as New Owners Commit to AI

Photo Credit: Electronic Arts

EA announced the deal to go private in September 2025

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Highlights

Electronic Arts is now majority-owned by Saudi Arabia's PIF
The $55 billion deal includes $20 billion debt financing from JPMorgan
EA announced layoffs earlier this year across its Battlefield teams

Electronic Arts' acquisition by a consortium of private entities, first announced in September 2025, is now complete. The company, one of the largest makers and publishers of video games, announced Tuesday that private equity firm Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, and American investment firm Affinity Partners had successfully closed the acquisition.

After decades of being publicly listed, EA, which owns popular franchises like Battlefield and EA Sports FC, has gone private with a record-breaking leveraged buyout deal, valued at $55 billion. In a press release announcing the completion of the acquisition, EA said its private ownership would bring “long-term capital” to support the company's "next chapter.”

The private consortium, however, also brings a considerable amount of debt. EA's acquisition was backed by an equity investment of around $36 billion, along with $20 billion of debt financing committed by JPMorgan. EA's non-convertible debt in 2026 before the completion of the acquisition stood at $1.485 billion.

EA Hits Battlefield Studios With Layoffs Despite Battlefield 6's Success

New Owners Back AI in Game Development

The new owners are betting on AI to help cut operating costs and manage the $20 billion debt. People involved in the deal told FT last year that AI-based cost cuts would boost EA's profits significantly in the coming years.

In the acquisition announcement, Silver Lake has notably mentioned the new ownership's commitment to AI and its usage in game development.

“As long-term investors in technology, we admire how EA's innovation fuels imagination and human connection,” said Egon Durban, CEO and managing partner of Silver Lake. “We're proud to join with PIF and Affinity Partners to invest heavily in EA's growth, including what AI can do to enhance game development and player experience, and excited to partner with Andrew and the EA team as they raise the bar for fans everywhere.”

Battlefield Maker EA to Go Private in Record $55 Billion Leveraged Buyout

CEO Andrew Wilson claimed EA would begin its stint as a private company from a position of “strength.”

“We're entering this next chapter from a position of strength with partners who share our vision and ambition,” Wilson said in a statement. “Together, we'll invest boldly, accelerate innovation, and build the next generation of games and experiences for the hundreds of millions of players and fans who inspire us every day.”

Saudi's PIF now owns a 93.4 percent stake in EA, with Silver Lake and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners holding 5.5 and 1.1 percent of the shares, respectively. With the buyout now complete, EA stockholders will receive $210 in cash for each share of EA common stock they owned as of the closing, the company said. EA is no longer a publicly traded firm and will be delisted from NASDAQ.

Battlefield 6 Review: EA's Military Shooter Returns to Form

EA announced it was going private in September 2025, just ahead of the launch of Battlefield 6, which went on to become one of the best-selling games of 2025. Despite the game's “record-breaking success,” the company announced earlier this year that it was cutting jobs across Criterion, Dice, Ripple Effect, and Motive Studios — the teams that worked on Battlefield 6.

Battlefield 6

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Good
Excellent and immersive multiplayer
Satisfying gunplay
Large-scale multiplayer modes
Robust performance
State of the art visuals

Bad
Underwhelming single-player campaign
Sluggish multiplayer progression
Lack of truly massive maps

Read detailed Electronic Arts Battlefield 6 review

Genre Shooter

Platform PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series S/X, PC: Windows

Modes Single-player, Multiplayer

Series Battlefield

PEGI Rating 18+

More Electronic Arts Games

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Further reading: EA, Electronic Arts, PIF, Affinity Partners, Silver Lake, Battlefield 6, EA Sports FC

Manas Mitul

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In his time as a journalist, Manas Mitul has written on a wide spectrum of beats including politics, culture and sports. He enjoys reading, walking around in museums and rewatching films. Talk to Manas about football and tennis, but maybe don’t bring up his video game backlog. More