EA to be Acquired for $55B by Saudi-led Group, Set to Close on August 4

Electronic Arts is set to be acquired by a Saudi-led group worth $55 billion, with the deal expected to close on August 4. The acquisition has received necessary regulatory approvals.

EA is set to complete its $55 billion take-private on or about August 4, 2026, after the consortium of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners secured the last of its required regulatory approvals. Shareholders receive $210 per share in cash, a premium of roughly 25% to the unaffected share price before the deal was announced. EU clearance under the foreign subsidies rules was among the final gates cleared.

The transaction stands as one of the largest leveraged buyouts ever completed and the largest take-private in the video game industry. It removes a major publisher from public markets at a moment when the sector is consolidating around fewer, larger owners, and it places EA's franchises, including the EA Sports FC and Madden lines, under an ownership structure anchored by sovereign capital rather than quarterly public reporting.

For investors the immediate consequence is mechanical: index funds tracking the S&P 500 will need to reflect the removal, and merger arbitrage positions unwind at close. The longer-dated question is what a sovereign-backed, privately held EA does to competitive dynamics for remaining public publishers, and whether the deal's completion encourages similar approaches to other listed game companies. Watch for any last-minute closing conditions and for how PIF frames its investment horizon once the deal is done.