While EA had confirmed all the way back in September that it has entered into a deal with an investor consortium to be acquired and become a private company, a new report indicates that the majority owner of EA after the deal goes through will be Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund – the PIF. This comes courtesy of a report by the Wall Street Journal, which cites a recent filing with an antitrust regulator in Brazil.
According to this filing, the PIF will end up with 93.4 percent ownership over EA. The other members of the investor consortium – Silver Lake Partners and Affinity Partners – will end up with ownership of 5.5 percent and 1.1 percent ownership over the company respectively. None of the companies involved have responded to requests for comments at the time of publishing.
The deal to acquire EA and make it a private company is valued at around $55 billion, and involves a complete buyout of the company’s stockholders. The current stockholders will be paid $210 per share in cash. Before this deal was announced, Saudi Arabia’s PIF already had a 9.9 percent stake in the company. The stockholders are getting paid a premium of 25 percent over EA’s share price as of the market’s closing on September 25, 2025, which valued each share at $168.32.
“Our creative and passionate teams at EA have delivered extraordinary experiences for hundreds of millions of fans, built some of the world’s most iconic IP, and created significant value for our business. This moment is a powerful recognition of their remarkable work,” said EA CEO and chairman Andrew Wilson in a statement when announcing the deal.
“Looking ahead, we will continue to push the boundaries of entertainment, sports, and technology, unlocking new opportunities. Together with our partners, we will create transformative experiences to inspire generations to come. I am more energized than ever about the future we are building.”
While this acquisition will end up being a major change for EA, it is currently unknown just how deeply it will affect the various development teams under the company’s banner. Concerns have started rising among some of the developers, including BioWare, who have started becoming unsure about the studio’s future after the deal for EA’s acquisition is finalised, which is scheduled to happen by Q1 FY 2027. “Look at the negativity that came after Dragon Age,” said one developer. “If we felt it was only going to get worse then, you can imagine what some of us think now.”
“We’re going to keep working until they tell us were done,” said another. “It’s not the healthiest way to live, but as long as the paychecks keep coming, we’re not going to just walk away.”
Analysts have also chimed in, noting that the large amount of debt being incurred by EA as part of the acquisition means that the company will see several belt-tightening measures put into place. Analysts from across various firms have noted that this likely means the company doubling down on live service titles and sports games to ensure predictable revenue streams and profit margins.
