EA is now a private company after completing its $55 billion sale to an investor group made up of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners. EA said the transaction closed on August 4, 2026, according to The Verge.
The closing ends Electronic Arts’ public-market listing. The company announced the definitive acquisition agreement on September 29, 2025, then needed shareholder and regulatory approvals before it could finish the sale. An SEC filing cited by Engadget said all required regulatory approvals had been obtained by July 30.
For players, the confirmed immediate change is corporate ownership, not a disclosed overhaul of EA’s games, studios or services. The available deal announcements do not establish layoffs, studio closures, changes to development plans or changes to players’ existing libraries.
What does EA going private mean?
A private company does not have shares traded on a public stock exchange. EA’s 2025 announcement said its common stock would no longer be listed on any public market once the deal closed. That removes public shareholders from the ownership structure and puts control with the buying group.
The announced terms valued EA at an enterprise value of about $55 billion. Shareholders were to receive $210 in cash for each EA share. PIF, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners were the acquirers; PIF rolled over its pre-existing 9.9% EA stake under the announced arrangement. The Verge reported that PIF is expected to hold 93.4% of the new company, citing separate reporting, rather than an ownership breakdown issued in EA’s closing announcement.
How was the EA buyout financed?
EA’s original announcement described roughly $36 billion in equity from the investor group and $20 billion in debt financing committed by JPMorgan Chase Bank. Of that debt, $18 billion was expected to be funded at closing. A leveraged buyout uses borrowed money alongside investors’ cash to acquire a company, which means the financing structure matters long after the deal’s press release has stopped doing victory laps.
The $20 billion figure was a committed financing amount in the 2025 announcement. It should not be read as confirmation that the full amount had been funded at close, because EA said only $18 billion was expected to fund then.
Who is running EA now?
EA said Andrew Wilson would remain chief executive officer and that its headquarters would stay in Redwood City, California. Engadget reported the same continuity plans before the closing date.
EA publishes Battlefield, EA Sports FC, Madden NFL, The Sims, Apex Legends and other game series. The completed sale changes who owns the publisher. It does not, on the evidence currently available, confirm what the new owners will do with any particular franchise, studio or workforce.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.
