EA's $55 Billion Take-Private: Layoffs, Battlefield 6 and the Battlefront 3 That Never Was
In September 2025, Electronic Arts agreed to a massive leveraged buyout valued at around $55 billion, marking the biggest deal of its kind ever, surpassing Texas utility TXU's 2007 transaction. The buyers include Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners. PIF had previously owned about 10% of EA since 2022 via Savvy Games Group. The deal is still pending as it awaits shareholder approval and regulatory checks, particularly a CFIUS review due to PIF's Saudi ties. EA's management anticipates the deal will finalize by fiscal year 2027. Meanwhile, EA has cut around 1,450 jobs since March 2023 and shut down Cliffhanger Games. Battlefield 6 launched in October 2025, attracting more players than previous titles.
Key facts
- EA agreed in September 2025 to a roughly $55 billion leveraged buyout, the largest in corporate history
- Buyers are Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, founded by Jared Kushner in 2021
- PIF held about a 10% EA stake since 2022 through Savvy Games Group
- EA cut roughly 780 jobs in March 2023 and about 670 in February 2024
- Cliffhanger Games was closed and an unannounced Black Panther title with Marvel Games canceled
- Battlefield 6 launched in October 2025 with higher peak Steam concurrents than prior series entries
- CFIUS review is required because PIF is an arm of the Saudi government; EA's board targets a close in fiscal year 2027
- Andrew Wilson has been CEO since September 2013 and is expected to stay after the deal closes
Entities
Artists
- Andrew Wilson
- Jared Kushner
- Corinne Busche
- Mohammed bin Salman
- Jamal Khashoggi
- Rob Copeland
- Vivian Nereim
- Kareem Shaheen
Institutions
- Electronic Arts
- Public Investment Fund
- Silver Lake
- Affinity Partners
- Savvy Games Group
- Cliffhanger Games
- Marvel Games
- DICE
- Criterion
- Motive
- Ripple Effect
- Battlefield Studios
- BioWare
- Respawn Entertainment
- Pandemic Studios
- LucasArts
- Free Radical Design
- Ubisoft
- Massive Entertainment
- Lucasfilm
- Disney
- Microsoft
- Activision Blizzard
- Sony
- Nintendo
- Valve
- Apple
- Unity
- Epic Games
- Clear Channel
- Dell
- Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
- LIV Golf
- TXU
- Quartz
- Electronic Arts (EA)
- Public Investment Fund (PIF)
- The New York Times
- Take-Two Interactive
- Capcom
- Embracer Group
- ESL
- FACEIT
- Scopely
- Niantic
- Misk Foundation
- SNK
- Games Done Quick
- New Lines Magazine
- Artribune
- CNBC
Locations
- Saudi Arabia
- United States
- Sweden
- Japan
- France
- Al-Ula