EA shareholders approve $55 billion buyout that'll reportedly leave the Battlefield 6 and EA Sports FC developer and publisher in $20 billion debt

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EA shareholders approve $55 billion buyout that'll reportedly leave the Battlefield 6 and EA Sports FC developer and publisher in $20 billion debt News By Scott McCrae published 23 December 2025

EA expects the deal to go through in Q1 of FY27

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EA's shareholders have reportedly approved the $55 billion buyout from the group of investors led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

Earlier this year, it was confirmed that EA is going private following a buyout by a consortium of investors: Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners (founded by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of the current US President, Donald Trump). The Saudi Arabia PIF is expected to own a vast majority of the company, more specifically 93.4%, while Silver Lake and Affinity Partners would own 5.5% and 1.1%, respectively. EA has previously mentioned it expects the deal to close during Q1 of FY27 and has just passed its first hurdle.

As reported by Game File's Stephen Totilo on BlueSky, "EA's shareholders have officially approved EA's $55 billion sale to a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund." This is the first step in the deal going through, as it will now have to be approved by government regulators, and based on the Microsoft Activision deal, it feels likely that the US, EU, and UK governments will weigh in on the buyout.

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Given that the buyout will result in $20 billion being absorbed as debt for EA, many within the company are worried for its future, as one anonymous developer previously said, "We know, when the deal closes, it’s going to get worse before it gets better, if better is even possible," adding that "I’m nervous about what this means in terms of workforce once the deal is closed, as layoffs usually follow those type of acquisitions."

EA goes $20 billion in debt as part of its $55 billion buyout, and the BioWare fans who've already waited 8 years for Mass Effect 5 are terrified of how the company might cut costs

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Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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Logout Read more EA's $55 billion buyout will reportedly see Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund own 93.4% of the EA Sports FC and Battlefield 6 company    EA reportedly nearing $50 billion deal to go private with money from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment fund and a private equity firm, which would "likely be the largest leveraged buyout of all time"    Battlefield 6 and Dragon Age owner EA goes private in $55 billion deal, smashing past its market value    "It's going to get worse before it gets better": $55 billion buyout has EA employees worried, and "nothing feels great" as "layoffs usually follow those type of acquisitions"    EA CEO tells employees $55 billion buyout marks "a new era of opportunity" and the company's values "remain unchanged"    After securing a $55 billion deal to acquire Battlefield 6 and EA Sports FC publisher EA, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is reportedly "unable to allocate any more money" for the time being    Latest in Games Industry leaders pay tribute to Battlefield lead Vince Zampella, "a titan and legend of this industry"    Arc Raiders left with a grand question after sacrificing their characters for light Expedition loot: "Was it worth it?"    Respawn co-founder, Call of Duty creator, and Battlefield series head Vince Zampella dies aged 55    Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition on Switch 2 has already plummeted 75% just in time for the holidays    Divinity: Original Sin 2 star is excited about that "delicious" Divinity trailer, though Larian hasn't invited her back "yet"    Divinity boss doesn't believe "you should play" the older games before the new one "unless you want the lore"    Latest in News EA shareholders approve $55 billion buyout that'll reportedly leave the EA Sports FC publisher in $20 billion debt    Stranger Things season 5 runtimes confirmed, and the final episode is 3 minutes longer than previously announced    The Super Mario Galaxy Movie star Jack Black says fans of the classic game will be "very pleased" with the new movie    An Avatar video game DLC may have just spoiled Quaritch's fate in Avatar 4    Rogue One star Mads Mikkelsen says the script for the Star Wars movie was "surprisingly unfinished"    Hideo Kojima says KPop Demon Hunters was "so good" and that he "ended up bawling my eyes out"    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

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