Electronic Arts to be acquired for $52.5 billion; headquarters to remain in Redwood Shores

"Electronic Arts, maker of video games like "Madden NFL," "Battlefield," and "The Sims," is being acquired for $52.5 billion in what could become the largest-ever buyout funded by private-equity firms. The private equity firm Silver Lake Partners, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund PIF, and Affinity Partners will pay EA's stockholders $210 per share. The companies value the deal at about $55 billion, including debt. Affinity Partners is run by President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner."

""The Saudi PIF has been a very active player in the video gaming market since 2022, taking minority stakes in most scaled public video gaming publishers, and also outright purchases of companies like ESL, FACEIT, and Scopely," he wrote. "The PIF has made its intentions to scale its gaming arm, Savvy Gaming Group, clear, and the EA deal would represent the biggest such move to date by some distance.""

Electronic Arts is being acquired for $52.5 billion in a buyout led by Silver Lake Partners, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Affinity Partners. The consortium will pay EA stockholders $210 per share and values the transaction at about $55 billion including debt. Affinity Partners is run by Jared Kushner, and PIF will roll over its existing 9.9% stake. PIF has been actively building a gaming portfolio since 2022 through minority stakes and outright purchases to scale its Savvy Gaming Group. Electronic Arts would be taken private with headquarters remaining in Redwood City, ending its 36-year history as a public company.

Read at The Mercury News