Overview
- As of July 17, Reuters sources say the European Commission is expected to clear the $55 billion acquisition under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation and to grant unconditional merger clearance in a parallel review.
- The bid is a leveraged buyout led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund with Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners and private equity firm Silver Lake and was announced in September as one of the largest LBOs ever.
- Labour groups and critics have objected to the transaction on human-rights grounds, raised concerns about Jared Kushner’s political ties, and warned the deal could affect EA studios and access to user data in countries such as Canada.
- The deal’s original June closing target is now uncertain because national regulators can still open further reviews and past EU probes of Middle Eastern buyers have required lengthy investigations and binding remedies.
- Watch for the Commission’s formal decisions and any follow-up national measures because approvals could require behavioural concessions and those outcomes will determine how the takeover affects EA staff, game franchises and cross‑border data controls.