$55 Billion EA Deal Clears Final Hurdle, Expected To Close Next Week

Published Jul 30, 2026, 5:26 PM EDT Kyle Gratton is an editor and writer based out of Kansas City. He received a bachelor's degree, dual majoring in English and History with a minor in Film and Media Studies, and has been a senior staff writer and reviewer for Screen Rant's Gaming section since 2021, with roles in editorial, and various freelance projects. A terminal Midwesterner who graduated from the University of Kansas, Kyle also has knowledge and interest in literature, film, film adaptions of literature, and history. Find Kyle on Bluesky: kwg.bsky.social and Letterboxd: KyleG5 The long-looming buyout of gaming giant Electronic Arts has cleared its final obstacle, with the deal now expected to close next week. EA's buyout was announced last year, with the new majority owner to take the company private being the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. Investors alongside the PIF include private equity firms Affinity Partners and Silver Lake, the former of which was founded by Jared Kushner. The deal has proven to be very controversial, prompting petitions to block the acquisition over concerns that it will exacerbate anti-consumer tendencies. Originally slated to close on June 30, the EA acquisition was held up by pending regulatory approvals, which have now been granted, per Variety. In a document filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Electronic Arts expects the deal to close "on or about the close of trading on August 4, 2026," next Tuesday. EA says that, "As of July 30, 2026, all regulatory approvals required to complete the Merger have been obtained." One of the last approvals required for the EA buyout was from the European Union's European Commission, which was granted last week, per Game Developer. The PIF will hold a 93.4% stake in the newly private EA after the buyout, a significant increase from its current 10% stake in the publicly traded company. The $55 billion transaction is the largest leveraged buyout in history, and effectively saddles EA with $20 billion in debt due to loans acquired from JPMorgan Chase. EA's change in ownership has long been expected to result in significant layoffs, which have already hit its subsidiary companies recently, even in the wake of the hugely successful Battlefield 6, 2025's best-selling game in the United States. Saudi Arabia's involvement drew a lot of scrutiny, raising concerns of a foreign power having access to the consumer data of a predominantly U.S.-based company (EA is headquartered in California). Critics have noted, however, that denial of the deal by the SEC or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was unlikely due to the involvement of Jared Kushner, son-in-law to current U.S. President Donald Trump. The PIF acquiring such a monolithic gaming company has also spurred cultural concerns, increasing claims that the Saudi Arabian government is engaging in culture washing by appending its image to worldwide cultural touchstones, including professional soccer/football and Formula 1. When the buyout closes next week, the PIF will effectively have control of numerous major video game franchises, including EA Sports FC, Madden NFL, numerous Star Wars series, The Sims, Battlefield, Mass Effect, and many more. This becomes one of the highest profile transactions in the gaming industry's history, arguably only second to Microsoft's $68 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, completed in 2023. With all required regulatory approvals granted, Electronic Arts will soon go private, likely as early as August 4.