Electronic Arts announced in September that it’s being taken private in a $55 billion deal led by Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, Silver Lake, and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Recent reports suggest Saudi Arabia, which is providing the majority of the funding, may end up with almost total control of the company.
A document submitted to Brazil’s competition authority reveals that if PIF were to buy EA, it would own a controlling 93.4% of the company. Silver Lake would have a 5.5% stake, and Affinity would own just 1.1%. Because PIF already invests heavily in both Silver Lake and Affinity, this deal would give it even greater control over EA.
As a big gaming fan, I’ve been following this news and it’s pretty interesting! Usually, funds like Saudi Arabia’s PIF don’t put this much money into buying game companies – typically, private equity firms lead those deals. But Saudi Arabia is clearly getting serious about gaming, as they’ve already invested in companies like Nintendo and Take-Two. Just this year, Scopely, a mobile game company owned by Saudi Arabia, actually bought the division of Niantic that makes Pokémon Go and other popular mobile games! It shows they’re really expanding their presence in the industry.
Okay, so I’m reading that Senators Blumenthal and Warren are worried about where the money’s really coming from if EA gets bought out – basically, if a foreign power could end up pulling the strings. EA filed some paperwork last month saying they’ll still be in charge of making the games, even after the sale, but those senators aren’t totally convinced, and honestly, neither am I. It’s good they’re asking these questions.
A later report suggested that the Public Investment Fund (PIF) might be spending too much and losing money on some risky and expensive investments. While this isn’t likely to stop the deal with EA, the report highlighted that even Saudi Arabia’s vast oil wealth may not be enough to quickly replace the money PIF is spending. PIF has refuted the report, claiming it still has $60 billion in cash and other readily available financial resources.
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2025-12-03 12:09