Jared Kushner, Saudi Arabia, more backers to buy EA in $55B deal. What this means for gamers

President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Saudi Arabia’s government and other backers are closing in on a $55 billion deal to purchase the video game company responsible for developing and publishing popular game franchises like The Sims, Madden NFL and Battlefield.

Electronic Arts, or EA, announced on Monday that it will be privately acquired by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake and Affinity Partners during the 2027 fiscal year. The latter of the investors, Affinity Partners, was founded by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump.

Upon the finalization of the acquisition, EA will remain headquartered in Redwood City, California, and Andrew Wilson will continue to serve as CEO, according to a news release.

The acquisition announcement comes less than a month before the release of EA’s highly-anticipated Battlefield 6. Set to release on Oct. 10, the first-person shooter game has turned heads for its trailer featuring actors Zac Efron, Morgan Wallen, Jimmy Butler and Paddy Pimblett.

Here’s what to know about the EA investors and how the deal may impact users.

How will the EA acquisition impact gamers?

The acquisition will not be finalized until the 2027 fiscal year, which begins in September 2026. Until then, EA customers should expect no changes to the company or EA gameplay experience.

How will the EA acquisition impact public shareholders?

Under the terms of the agreement, public shareholders will receive a $210 cash share, according to a news release.

Who are the EA investors: PIF, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners?

PIF

PIF, or the Public Investment Fund, is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world and its portfolio includes Uber. According to the PIF website, the fund has about $925 billion worth of assets under its management.

Silver Lake

Private equity company Silver Lake was founded by Glenn Hutchins and Roger McNamee in 1999. Its portfolio includes companies like Dell Technologies, sports marketing company Learfield and weight loss company Noom. Silver Lake is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.

Silver Lake made headlines recently, as the private equity company is involved in a preliminary deal to purchase the U.S. assets of TikTok.

Affinity Partners

Founded by Kushner in 2021, Affinity Partners in an investment company based in Miami, Florida. It focuses on investing in companies based in the United States and Israel.

Why is Saudi Arabia interested in EA?

Saudi Arabia’s interest in EA is part of Saudi Vision 2030, a program which encourages the country’s diversification of investments outside of just oil.

In 2021, PIF invested about $3.3 million in Activision Blizzard (World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Overwatch) and founded Savvy Games Group, a video game, development, publishing and investment company. PIF has also invested in Nintendo, and Saudi Arabia hosted the 2025 ESports World Cup.