EA acquisition by PIF: final green light lands, closing set for August 4

It's official: no regulator stands in the way of Electronic Arts' acquisition anymore. EA has confirmed obtaining all the necessary legal approvals, in the United States, in Europe and elsewhere. Closing is scheduled for August 4, 2026.

This green light closes out nearly a year of proceedings that began in September 2025, slowed down by the unprecedented scale of the deal: 55 billion dollars, one of the biggest buyouts in video game history. The final setup places the Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF as the overwhelmingly majority shareholder, with more than 93% of the shares. Silver Lake and Affinity Partners split the rest, with the latter holding the smaller portion. If everything goes as planned, current shareholders will receive 210 dollars per share, a 25% premium over the pre-announcement stock price, according to Yahoo Finance.

The question that's been stirring the community for a year remains: what does this actually change for EA's franchises? Players and industry professionals fear PIF's influence on the creative direction of the studios, given the fund's political baggage. EA and PIF, for their part, assure that the internal workings of the studios won't change. A line we've already heard in other buyouts, and one worth checking in the months following the closing.

The matter also remains sensitive on the social front: EA has gone through wave after wave of layoffs recently, while its CEO Andrew Wilson could pocket a 125 million dollar exit bonus in the event of a layoff without cause following the acquisition. A contrast that's already fueling discontent around the deal...