Electronic Arts completes its acquisition deal, is now officially owned by Saudi Arabia’s PIF

Electronic Arts has announced the the completion of its acquisition, which now means Saudi Arabia owns the lion’s share of the company.

EA confirmed in September 2025 that it was to be acquired by a group of private investors, including Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund (PIF), in a deal valuing the company at around $55 billion.

Now the company has announced that the deal has been completed, meaning it goes private again after 36 years, and is now fully owned by “an investor consortium comprised of PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners”.

The PIF – or Public Investment Fund – is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia and is reportedly central to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s goal of making the Saudi economy less reliant on proceeds from oil. The fund already owns billions of stock in other video game companies, such as Take-Two, and owns other companies such as SNK.

Three months after the initial announcement was made, a filing confirmed that the PIF would own 93.4% of EA once the deal was completed. Silver Lake Partners – an investment fund run by a US global private equity film based in Silicon Valley – would own 5.5% of the shares, according to the filing.

Affinity Partners – an American investment firm formed by Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, which mainly focuses on investing in US and Israeli companies, with most of its funding coming from the Saudi Arabian government – would own the remaining 1.1%.

EA CEO says it will “invest boldly” in “this next chapter”

In a statement, EA CEO and chairman Andrew Wilson said: “This moment recognizes the extraordinary people whose creativity, ambition and passion have made EA one of the world’s leading interactive entertainment companies.

“We’re entering this next chapter from a position of strength with partners who share our vision and ambition. 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.”

Turqi Alnowaiser, deputy governor and head of international investments at PIF, added: “Having been a minority investor in the company for more than five years, we have a deep understanding of EA’s unique platform, massive global sports and gaming franchises, and iconic IP.

“Entertainment and sports are key areas of strategic focus for PIF, and are among the fastest growing and evolving sectors around the world. Together, the Consortium is uniquely positioned to be a long-term partner to EA’s management team in driving sustained growth and innovation for EA and the industry.”

In recent years Saudi Arabia officials have said its investments in the games industry will help to modernize the kingdom, but they have come with negative fallout due to the country’s highly criticised human rights abuses.

Notably, the crown prince has been accused by US Intelligence of ordering the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The country has also has historically cracked down on female activists and LBGTQI+ rights, with legal repercussions for LGBTQI+ individuals including imprisonment, fines or the death penalty according to Amnesty International.

Concern around this led to EA-owned developer Maxis – the studio behind The Sims series, which is known for its inclusivity and character diversity – stating publicly that its values will not be affected by EA’s upcoming change in ownership.