Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is reportedly set to take a 93.4 per cent stake in Electronic Arts under its $55 billion buyout of the studio.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is potentially poised to take near-total control of Electronic Arts.
According to new filings, the sovereign wealth fund would own 93.4 per cent of the studio if its proposed $55 billion acquisition is approved.
The filings – uncovered by the Wall Street Journal in documents submitted to Brazilian antitrust regulators – outline a takeover consortium led by PIF and accompanied by private equity groups Silver Lake (5.5 per cent) and Affinity Partners (1.1 per cent), the latter founded by Jared Kushner.
If completed, the deal would be one of the largest acquisitions in video game history, with roughly $20 billion of the $55 billion price tag financed through debt.
The takeover has already provoked backlash from industry unions and human rights organisations, both of which argue the acquisition risks further consolidating power in the hands of a foreign government with a checkered record on civil liberties.
Critics have also noted PIF’s current cash constraints, raising questions about its ability to finance the majority stake even as regulators appear likely to approve the deal.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson framed the proposed sale as validation of the company’s decades of blockbuster success, saying it reflects “a powerful recognition” of the work done by EA’s teams delivering global franchises like FIFA, Madden, The Sims, and Battlefield.
But internally, discontent is swelling, as after the acquisition was announced, workers at EA – represented by United Video Game Workers–CWA – launched a formal petition urging regulators in the U.S. and abroad to scrutinise or block the deal.
The union argued the buyout would “further concentrate power and wealth into the hands of a few gatekeepers,” while risking layoffs and studio closures to service the enormous debt burden.
The petition reads: “EA is not a struggling company. Yet the very people who will be jeopardized by this deal were not represented at all.”
The group called for safeguards that protect jobs, preserve creative independence, and ensure workers, not investors, shape the company’s future.
EA will be owned nearly entirely by Saudi Arabia if studio sale approved, new filings suggest
