Overview
- The European Commission approved the acquisition on July 23, 2026, finding the transaction would not raise competition concerns in EU markets after a normal merger review.
- The deal is a $55 billion leveraged buyout that would give Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund roughly 93–94% of EA with Silver Lake and Affinity Partners holding the remainder.
- Consortium filings and reporting show the buyout is backed by large debt financing, reportedly more than $20 billion arranged by JPMorgan, which increases financial risk for the private company post-close.
- U.S. scrutiny has not ended because lawmakers, the Communications Workers of America and human rights groups have asked the Federal Trade Commission and CFIUS to examine labour-market effects, national-security issues, and Saudi Arabia’s rights record.
- If completed the deal would be the largest private leveraged buyout in history and could affect EA’s operations and workers, so the next milestones to watch are U.S. regulatory decisions, final financing and the closing conditions.