Digital Arts Is Being Acquired For $55 Billion And Will Go Personal

Digital Arts is being acquired for $55 billion by an investor consortium consisting of the Public Funding Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), Silver Lake, and Affinity Companions. The all-cash transaction sees this collective take in 100% of the writer, successfully taking the corporate personal.

The transaction is the most important all-cash sponsor take-private funding in historical past, mentioned to “speed up innovation and development to construct the way forward for leisure,” in keeping with a press launch. The deal was authorized by the EA’s board of administrators and is predicted to shut throughout Q1 of the 2027 fiscal yr, pending customary regulatory approvals. 

As soon as the acquisition is full, EA will keep headquartered in Redwood Metropolis, California, and Andrew Wilson will stay CEO. Stockholders will obtain $210 per share in money, representing a 25 p.c premium to the unaffected share value ($168.32 at market shut on September 25, 2025). Following the acquisition, EA’s widespread inventory will now not be listed on any public market. 

“Our inventive and passionate groups at EA have delivered extraordinary experiences for a whole bunch of thousands and thousands of followers, constructed among the world’s most iconic IP, and created vital worth for our enterprise. This second is a robust recognition of their exceptional work,” mentioned Andrew Wilson in a press launch. “Trying forward, we are going to proceed to push the boundaries of leisure, sports activities, and know-how, unlocking new alternatives. Along with our companions, we are going to create transformative experiences to encourage generations to return. I’m extra energized than ever concerning the future we’re constructing.”

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The acquisition group, dubbed “The Consortium,” consists of three corporations. First is the PIF, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. The PIF has expanded its attain into the online game business by means of its Savvy Video games Group, an entity based in 2021. Within the final 4 years, the PIF has bought stakes in gaming corporations comparable to Nintendo, Activision Blizzard, Take-Two Interactive, Capcom, Embracer Group, and Nexon. The Savvy Video games Group additionally owns American cellular gaming firm Scopley, and earlier this yr, introduced plans to amass the sport division of Pokémon Go developer Niantic. The PIF had an current stake in EA earlier than its full acquisition of the corporate.

The second firm is Silver Lake, a multi-billion-dollar international know-how funding agency primarily based in North America, Europe, and Asia. Lastly, Affinity Companions is a Miami-based funding agency based in 2021 by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, who as soon as served as White Home senior advisor throughout Trump’s first time period.

The Consortium states it’s going to “carry deep sector expertise, dedicated capital, and international portfolios with networks throughout gaming, leisure, and sports activities that provide distinctive prospects for EA to mix bodily and digital experiences, improve fan engagement, and create new development alternatives.”

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The acquisition comes as EA gears up for the October 10 launch of Battlefield 6, which is shaping as much as be its greatest launch of the yr. EA’s portfolio of upcoming titles additionally contains Vegetation vs. Zombies: Replanted, subsequent yr’s Star Wars Zero Firm, and extra distant initiatives comparable to the subsequent Mass Impact, a 3rd Star Wars Jedi title, and Motive Studios’ Iron Man.

It additionally comes after two years of large layoffs throughout EA. In February 2024, EA laid off over 600 workers.  Titanfall developer Respawn Leisure suffered cuts this previous April, which resulted in two venture cancellations. In Might, EA closed Cliffhanger Video games, canceling the studio’s in-development Black Panther recreation. 

Supply: Sport Informer

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