$55 billion EA buyout hands Madden over to investors including Saudi Arabia and Jared Kushner

Electronic Arts has announced it is being acquired and taken private successful a $55 cardinal woody involving Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and Affinity Partners, which is founded and led by Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The woody is expected to adjacent successful the archetypal 4th of 2027 and is inactive taxable to support by regulators and EA stockholders.

The transaction was approved by EA’s Board of Directors, is expected to adjacent successful Q1 FY27 and is taxable to customary closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals and support by EA stockholders. Following the adjacent of the transaction, EA’s communal banal volition nary longer beryllium listed connected immoderate nationalist market.

The transaction volition beryllium funded by a operation of currency from each of PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners arsenic good arsenic roll-over of PIF’s existing involvement successful EA, constituting an equity concern of astir $36 billion, and $20 cardinal of indebtedness financing afloat and solely committed by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., $18 cardinal of which is expected to beryllium funded astatine close. Each of PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners program to money the equity constituent of the financing wholly from superior nether their respective control.

Upon completion of the transaction, EA volition stay headquartered successful Redwood City, California and proceed to beryllium led by Andrew Wilson arsenic CEO.

PIF, which already holds a astir 10 percent involvement successful EA and has besides poured money into Affinity Partners, besides invests successful different gaming giants similar Nintendo, Take-Two Interactive, and Capcom.

“Our originative and passionate teams astatine EA person delivered bonzer experiences for hundreds of millions of fans, built immoderate of the world’s astir iconic IP, and created important worth for our business. This infinitesimal is simply a almighty designation of their singular work,” said EA CEO Andrew Wilson.

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