- Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) aims to control 93,4% of Electronic Arts in a deal valued at $55.000 billion.
- Silver Lake and Affinity Partners will retain minority stakes of 5,5% and 1,1%, acting as financial support within the consortium.
- The acquisition, heavily financed with debt, still faces scrutiny from regulators and shareholders in several countries, with particular attention in the United States, Brazil, and Europe.
- The move strengthens Saudi Arabia's presence in the video game industry and raises questions about its impact on key franchises and European competitions sponsored by EA Sports.
Electronic Arts, one of the most influential video game publishers on the planet, It is about to change hands radically. The operation, valued at $55.000 million, would turn the purchase into the largest transaction in the history of the video game industry and would place Saudi Arabia as the almost absolute owner of the company through its sovereign wealth fund.
The agreement has implications not only in the United States; in Europe, where EA It maintains a huge presence thanks to sports franchises and sponsorships such as LaLiga EA Sports and LaLiga Hypermotion In Spain, the news is being followed very closely. Many eyes are on how this Saudi move might influence the future of franchises like EA Sports FC, Battlefield, The Sims, Dragon Age or Need for Speed and in the role that the company plays in the European competitive and media ecosystem.
How the purchase is structured: a consortium with a single real owner
On paper, the acquisition of Electronic Arts appears to be a joint operation by a consortium formed by the Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake Partners and Affinity PartnersHowever, the documentation submitted to regulators in different countries makes it clear that the distribution of power will be far from balanced.
According to detailed reports by The Wall Street Journal and records submitted to Brazil's antitrust regulator, the Saudi PIF will take control of 93,4% of EA If the deal goes through, Silver Lake would retain a 5,5% and Affinity Partners, the fund of Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared KushnerI would retain barely a 1,1% of the actions. On the ground, Saudi Arabia is believed to be the true owner of Electronic Arts..
This structure has led several analysts to describe the consortium as a kind of "facade" to soften public and regulatory perceptions. Both Silver Lake and Affinity receive significant funding from the PIF itselfThis reinforces the idea that its role is more instrumental than one of real control. In practice, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund will concentrate strategic control over the company and its intellectual property.
The Brazilian regulator has also provided a key financial breakdown: of the $55.000 million of the operation, some 36.400 billion will be channeled as capital and around 20.000 million They will arrive in the form of debt linked to EA. Of that capital, approximately $29.000 million They will come directly from the PIF, which already had a stake valued at around 5.200 billion before the agreement was announced.
A historic operation, financed with debt and in the midst of Saudi expansion
The magnitude of the purchase places this transaction as one of the largest leveraged deals ever seen in the interactive entertainment industryExperts cited by various economic media outlets believe It is unusual for a sovereign wealth fund to assume such a large majority. within a consortium, since in this type of operation it is usually private equity firms that lead the control and management.
El Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund For years, it has been expanding its footprint in the video game sector with an acquisition strategy that goes beyond minority investments. The country has already achieved almost total control of SNK (approximately 96%) and holds positions in companies such as Nintendo, Capcom, Nexon or Embracer Group...in addition to holdings in giants like Activision Blizzard and Take-Two. The potential acquisition of EA would be, by far, the most ambitious move on this agenda.
All of this is happening at a time when the PIF's finances are marked by hugely costly internal projects such as the futuristic city of Neom, large-scale sports investments in preparation for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, and other initiatives that are generating significant buzz cost overruns and delaysRecent reports even suggest that Saudi Arabia could temporarily slow down their investment rate in gaming in the face of the strong capital outflows resulting from these megaprojects.
In this context, the EA acquisition will be supported by up to $20.000 billion in loansa figure that fuels doubts about the long-term sustainability of the operationThe high level of debt could push the new PIF-controlled EA to prioritize aggressive profitability strategies, from cost-cutting to studio sales or high-risk bets in areas such as... artificial intelligence applied to video game development.
The timeline for the operation and the regulators' filter
Although the agreement was publicly announced in September 2025, the actual closing of the purchase is still pending. several key conditionsElectronic Arts plans to hold a shareholders' meeting at the end of this month, in which the current owners will have to vote on whether or not to accept the offer from the consortium led by Saudi Arabia.
If the vote is favorable, the timelines outlined in the documentation suggest that the transaction could be finalized. mid 2026 or, according to other estimates, during the fiscal year 2027However, just as happened with Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard, These types of multi-million dollar deals often face unexpected obstacles. in competition and monopoly control authorities of different countries.
The agreement is already under scrutiny by international regulatorswith particular attention to the decisions made by agencies in the United States, Brazil, and the European Union. In addition to purely economic and competition analysis, the direct involvement of a foreign state In a cultural and digital content company with such global relevance, it adds a political component that can influence the pace and outcome of the process.
In the United States, figures such as senators Richard Blumenthal and Elizabeth Warren They have publicly expressed their concern about a foreign government taking control majority control over a global producer of video games and online services used by millions of people. The operation also raises questions in Europe, where the potential impact on the competition, data security, and content moderation in an increasingly regulated environment.
Potential impact on EA Sports FC, LaLiga and EA's major franchises
EA's presence in Europe gives this Saudi move particular significance on the continent. In Spain, for example, the company sponsors the top tiers of men's professional football through its sponsorship agreements. LaLiga EA Sports (First Division) and LaLiga Hypermotion (Second Division)Any profound strategic change could end up influencing both the soccer games as well as in the media exposure of these competitions.
From a purely catalog perspective, the purchase comes at a particularly opportune time for the company following the launch of Battlefield 6, a title that many players and media outlets already place among the best shooters of the year and of the sagaEA also continues to manage major licenses such as EA Sports FC, The Sims, Dragon Age, Mass Effect or Need for Speedfranchises with a significant user base in Spain and the rest of Europe.
Fans are wondering to what extent the new owner will influence the creative and commercial decisions associated with these series. Some previous reports already suggested that EA might have reached consider cancelling new Need for Speed projectsThis alarmed those who consider the arcade racing franchise an essential part of video game history. For now, this possibility hasn't been definitively confirmed, but the context of a company under pressure... financial pressure and changes in ownership It adds uncertainty to the future of their brands.
Electronic Arts itself insists that, even with the majority entry of the PIF, will maintain internal creative control regarding its games and studies. However, the fact that the new shareholding structure concentrates decision-making power in a single state investor leads many in the industry to question the extent to which this independence will be real in the medium term, especially if the expected profitability does not materialize at the desired pace.
International controversy and debate on rights, culture and soft power
Beyond the figures, the operation has reignited the debate about the role of Saudi Arabia in the global entertainment industryThe kingdom's government maintains that its investment program in video games, sports, and leisure is part of a strategy to modernize and diversify the economyreducing dependence on oil and projecting a more open image to the outside world.
However, human rights organizations and some members of the public point out that the country has accumulated accusations of serious violations of fundamental rightsincluding the repression of activists and the persecution of the community LGBTQIA+This last point is particularly delicate in the case of EA, since titles such as Dragon Age, Mass Effect or The Sims They are known for incorporating queer characters and options for sexual and gender diversity as central elements of his narrative.
The possibility that a state with restrictive laws in these matters could effectively control a company that has made a banner of inclusion and diverse representation This raises questions about the direction future developments might take. For now, EA maintains that it will continue to design its games with complete autonomy, but many experts and players remain cautious and will closely monitor creative decisions following the arrival of the new owner.
Meanwhile, some press reports, such as one from The New York TimesThey suggest that Riyadh could temporarily halt its investment expansion in gaming because certain business lines have become genuine drains on resources. In this context, having committed such a large sum for EA increases the pressure on the company to generate solid and relatively quick returnsThis is a factor that could influence the release policy, monetization model, and live service management in the coming years.
The potential acquisition of Electronic Arts by the Saudi PIF not only reshapes the video game business landscape, but also opens a new chapter in the debate about Who controls the major digital entertainment platforms, what objectives do they pursue, and how might this affect the content that reaches millions of players in Spain, Europe, and the rest of the world?.
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