EA’s Saudi Arabian $55bn takeover is now complete

Electronic Arts is now a privately owned, delisted company, as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners have concluded their takeover deal.

First confirmed in September last year, and following antitrust approval in July, the move is believed to be worth $55 billion.

It’s not the largest takeover ever, nor the biggest video game industry deal by value (hey, remember when Microsoft purchased Activision Blizzard for $75bn?), but it is touted as the largest ‘all-cash sponsor take-private investment’ in history.

Each shareholder will receive $210 for each share, and EA’s common stock has ceased trading on the Nasdaq exchange.

“This moment recognizes the extraordinary people whose creativity, ambition and passion have made EA one of the world’s leading interactive entertainment companies,” said Andrew Wilson, Chairman amd CEO of Electronic Arts.

The comment comes after a controversial move to receive a $38 million bonus thanks (in part) to the sales success of Battlefield 6, soon after making developers on the same game redundant.

“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.”

“We’re excited to support the company as it continues to reach new audiences, inspire the next generation of creators, and expand the ways people around the world connect through play,” said Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Partners and Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

EA’s recent racing game moves are concerning

It follows an uncertain time for fans of driving and racing video games. Following EA’s $1.2 billion takeover of British outfit Codemasters in 2021, the GRID series is missing in action, Project CARS 4 was cancelled and the core rally development team (DiRT Rally and EA SPORTS WRC) was disbanded while the latter’s licence was relinquished.

Meanwhile, EA’s long-standing car series Burnout and Need for Speed look to be frozen, with the Criterion Games creation team either leaving for different studios or continuing to work for the now Battlefield-only-focused group. Mobile titles Real Racing 3 and F1 Mobile Racing have also been shuttered.

The Birmingham Codemasters studio continues to exist, however, and was recently provided the bandwidth needed to skip a full game release this season to focus on EA SPORTS F1 27.