Longtime Slashdot reader neoRUR shares a report from Recreation Developer: EA Sports activities FC and Battlefield writer EA has been taken personal by an investor consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign Public Funding Fund (PIF). The transfer means the U.S. juggernaut is now not a publicly-traded entity and is now majority owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by way of its PIF funding arm. Different traders embrace Silver Lake and Affinity Companions, the latter of which was established by U.S. president Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The $55 billion transaction was financed by way of a mixture of money from PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Companions in addition to roll-over of PIF’s current stake in EA — constituting an fairness funding of roughly $36 billion. Notably, $20 billion of debt financing was supplied by JPMorgan Chase Financial institution. The deal cleared the required regulatory hurdles in July, paving the best way for its completion on the shut of buying and selling on August 4, 2026. It was permitted by regulators in main markets such because the European Union and the USA with out incident, regardless of lawmakers and union leaders within the U.S. calling on the Federal Commerce Fee to closely scrutinize the leveraged buyout over geopolitical and employment issues.
