The Latest on the EA Buyout
As the Electronic Art’s (EA’s) first fiscal quarter of 2027 comes to a close next month (because their quarters are reported at the end of June), many people are wondering about the current status of the buyout. This article gives a detailed report of where the buyout stands.
On September 29, 2025, EA (Electronic Arts) announced that it would be sold for $55 billion to a business consortium that consists of: Saudi Arabia’s Private Investment Fund (PIF), US investor Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, and Silver Lake.
PIF, according to Dummett & Brown of the Wall Street Journal, will be the primary purchaser acquiring 93.4% of the company. The remainder of EA would be broken down as follows: Silver Lake gets 5.5% and Affinity would capture 1.1%. According to Los Angeles Times staff writer Samantha Masunaga, the sale should be concluded sometime this year after clearing the regulatory hurdles and approval of the stockholders. At the conclusion of the deal, EA will no longer be a public company and according to Lawfare writer Vinita R. Singh, the company will no longer be required to report their “activities, financial situation, and investor base.”
However, the buyout causing political concern as well as skepticism within the gaming community? The concern comes from the fact that the Saudi Arabian government is a foreign influence that can potentially pose risks to user data. For instance, as reported by Associated Press News writer Ellen Knickmeyer, the Saudi government had allegedly “somehow” listened in on personal phone calls made in the US by a Saudi royal family member, Prince Abdullah bin Faisal al Saud. When the prince returned to the kingdom, the Saudis later imprisoned him for what he said. Additionally, Knickmeyer reported that a “72-year-old Saudi-American” had been imprisoned upon return to the kingdom because of tweets he made in his Florida home.
These stories do not mean that players may go to jail because their information is linked to EA’s databases. However, it does suggest that the Saudi government may have direct access and control of many US Citizens personal data, and this potentially infringes upon the First Amendment.
Moreover, PIF’s human rights policies contrast with EA’s emphasis on inclusivity in many of their games, most notably being the Sims Franchise. For example, as stated by the United States Department of Justice, the Saudi government has various punishments for homosexuality and openly disapproves of the lifestyle. The government still has many restrictions on women’s rights in certain areas of their livelihood according to The Week writer Elizabeth Carr-Ellis.
So, because the Saudi Arabian government has been reported to be openly restrictive of human rights policies, it is plausible that the Sims Franchise, as well as other EA games, may undergo some censorship since PIF will take up the majority of EA’s company.
Due to the proposed risk of the EA buyout, can the deal be stopped? Yes, because according to TiKR finance research writer Wiltone Asuncion, The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is the “the last major regulatory hurdle” that must approve of the deal before it can successfully be completed. Additionally, on April 15, 2026, popular content creator Kayla Sims or “lilsimsie” contacted her congressman to discuss the impacts of the deal with the Sim's community. In her livestream entitled, “Can the EA Buyout Be Stopped? | Speaking with Congressman Maxwell Frost,” she and Congressman Frost discussed ways of potentially stopping the deal. They suggested players sign the Block EA Deal Petition and get in contact with their congressmen to inform others about the buyout.
However, there are some doubts concerning this process because of Affinity Partners involvement in the buyout. Since Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is the owner of the investment firm, some may believe that the CFIUS may bypass the proposed issues due to his political status. For instance, Singh writes that, “It is highly likely that President Trump would brush off any recommendation to block the transaction.” Though politics could impact the decision, an investigation currently being by the United States House Committee on the Judiciary prompted by Kushner ‘s foreign affairs across the middle east, including Saudi Arabia. So, it is possible that the deal can be blocked depending on the results of this investigation.
Overall, whether or not the deal goes through, players have serious considerations about what they want to do about their support to EA. The choice is theirs.
Thanks for reading the whole story!
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