Saudis, Silver Lake, Jared Kushner Take EA Private in $55B Deal

Electronic Arts, maker of sports video games like Madden and EA Sports College Football, is being purchased by a group that includes the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, Jared Kushner’s investment firm, and private-equity giant Silver Lake, in a deal that values the company at roughly $55 billion.

The transaction—which the companies are calling the “largest all-cash sponsor take-private investment in history”—calls for shareholders of the Redwood City, Calif.–based company to receive $210 per share in cash. That represents a 25% premium to EA’s share price as of market close last Thursday, before a Wall Street Journal report surfaced saying a deal was imminent.

The buying group is Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Kushner’s Affinity Partners, and Silver Lake. They will own 100% of EA when the transaction is completed, which is expected in the first fiscal quarter of 2027. Compensation for the mega-deal will come via a combination of cash, rollover of the PIF’s existing stake in EA, and $20 billion in debt financing from JPMorgan Chase Bank.

The deal comes more than three decades after EA went public on the Nasdaq in 1990. The company, which will continue to be led by CEO Andrew Wilson and keep its current headquarters, was founded in 1982.

“Looking ahead, we will continue to push the boundaries of entertainment, sports, and technology, unlocking new opportunities,” Wilson said in Monday’s press release.

The agreement represents the latest step in Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 plan to diversify its economy and transform its global image. Sports has played a big role in that plan, from the formation of LIV Golf to the 2023 launch of SURJ Sports Investment, which has invested in the likes of Professional Fighters League and broadcaster DAZN. The PIF also owns stakes in video game makers Take-Two Interactive (which makes the popular NBA 2K) and Activision Blizzard through a subsidiary called Savvy Games Group.  

The Saudi ties for the EA deal do not stop at the PIF. Affinity Partners, launched in 2021 by Kushner—President Donald Trump’s son-in-law—is reportedly backed in large part by sovereign wealth funds from Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia. In Monday’s press release, Kushner called EA “​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,” said Kushner, who served as a senior advisor to Trump during his first term but is not formally involved in the president’s second administration.

Silver Lake is also no stranger to sports investments. The PE firm’s portfolio includes Endeavor Group, which is the lead shareholder of publicly traded TKO Group—the company that owns UFC and WWE. It is also invested in Madison Square Garden Sports, Diamond Baseball Holdings, and more.

In addition to Madden (it holds exclusive rights to the NFL) and EA Sports College Football, EA makes the FC series, which used to be called FIFA, as well as NHL and F1 games.

Shares of Electronic Arts were nearly 5% higher Monday morning.