Saudi Arabia's PIF will control 93% of EA following $55 billion buyout

New details have emerged regarding Electronic Arts' proposed buyout, revealing that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund will hold an overwhelming majority stake in the gaming giant.

The details:

• Originally announced in September, a consortium consisting of the PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners intends to acquire EA in a deal worth $55 billion USD. According to a recent filing with Brazil's antitrust regulator (via The Wall Street Journal), the PIF will own 93.4% of EA once the deal closes, with Silver Lake Partners and Affinity Partners holding just 5.5% and 1.1%, respectively.
• To finance the acquisition, the consortium will provide approximately $36.4 billion in equity, with the remaining $20 billion funded through debt. After accounting for PIF's existing 9.9% stake in EA, the fund will need to contribute around $29 billion to complete the transaction. The deal also represents a 25% premium on EA's unaffected share price of $168.32, valuing the company at $210 per share, making it the second-largest gaming acquisition ever, behind Microsoft's $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard in 2023.
• EA has scheduled a shareholder meeting later this month to vote on the proposal, with the deal expected to close by mid-2026 should it be approved. Once finalized, EA will transition from a publicly traded company to a privately held entity.