EA has more than 20 studios with 6,000 developers around the world, including Dice in Stockholm with 730 employees last year, and had revenue of $7.5 billion in fiscal year 2026. The company has game series such as "Battlefield", "The Sims", "Dragon Age" and sports titles such as the football game "EA Sports FC".
The future is spelled AI
The buyout is the largest leveraged buyout ever of a US-listed company. Behind it is a troika dominated by the state-owned Saudi investment company PIF, Affinity Partners - led by Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner - and the investment company Silver Lake.
"Together, we will invest boldly, accelerate innovation, and create next-generation games and experiences for the hundreds of millions of players and fans who inspire us every day," said EA CEO and Chairman Andrew Wilson in a press release .
Silver Lake CEO Egon Durban says AI investments are planned to “improve game development and the gaming experience.”
Others, like gaming journalist Jason Schreier, have warned that the fact that the company is saddled with $20 billion in debt could lead to “mass layoffs, more aggressive monetization, and other cost-cutting measures.”
"Be prepared to overpay"
The purchase price is $55 billion and represents a premium of 25 percent compared with the share price on September 25 last year.
EA ticks many boxes for the Saudis; tech company, entertainment, brands, sports connection. It is against this background that they are prepared to overpay, said industry analyst and researcher Joost van Dreunen about the purchase of TT last year.
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