What EA's Saudi Acquisition Could Mean For You As It Accrues $20 Billion Debt

Published Aug 5, 2026, 4:35 AM EDT Sam Woods is TheGamer’s Senior Reporter. He’s been in games journalism since 2020 and has undertaken a variety of roles in that time. These have included roles such as SEO Editor, Managing Editor at DualShockers, and Global Head of Gaming, and he's also been seen on the BBC. He was promoted to the Senior Reporter position in 2025 following a series of high-quality reports and exclusives for TheGamer. Since 2020, Sam has written over 2,500 articles and specializes in telling the stories of the people behind the games. He’s interviewed the biggest game directors, some of the industry’s top talents, told the stories of how indie games came to be, and spoken to players about what really makes them tick. He’s also interviewed some of the world’s biggest musical artists to find out how the medium has inspired their work, and TV and Film actors about their roles in video game adaptations. He even hosted a PAX panel in 2021 and made a documentary in 2024 surrounding the creation of a Disney game. Alongside this, Sam focuses on breaking news. He got the scoop on Perfect Dark’s cancellation, got context around some AI drama, and revealed how Lady Dimitrescu’s actress would love to step back into the character’s giant shoes. These articles have been picked up by the biggest gaming sites, including IGN, GameSpot, and PC Gamer. He also loves to dive into the numbers behind the games. Sam’s journey in games journalism has taken him all over the world. He’s covered Gamescom in Germany, Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, and Tokyo Game Show in Japan, each on more than one occasion. He’s been learning Japanese since 2024 with the intention of identifying and translating Japanese-language news and bringing it to English-language audiences first, something he’s done countless times. Sam’s first review was 2020’s Battletoads reboot, and he’s since reviewed games in The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, and Pokemon franchises. For the best part of a year, a Saudi Arabia-led consortium of investors has tried to push through its purchase of Electronic Arts (EA). The sale of EA Sports FC and Battlefield's creator was announced last September, subject to approval in many jurisdictions, and faced stiff opposition from many, including members of the US Congress. The acquisition began to take its final steps towards closing late last month, though, when the EU confirmed its approval, and all final hurdles of the sale have now been cleared, as EA confirmed the sale was finalized yesterday. This will, of course, likely have a huge impact on consumers despite the company saying it plans to "raise the bar for fans everywhere," as it just accrued $20 billion in debt. EA's Saudi Purchase Comes With $20 Billion Debt And A Scary AI Promise Yesterday, EA released a press release confirming its acquisition by PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. PIF is the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and is one of the largest investment funds in the world. Affinity Partners is an American investment firm formed by Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The acquisition cost the consortium a total of $55 billion, $20 billion of which was loaned to the company by financier JPMorgan. "Electronic Arts Inc. (“EA” or “Electronic Arts”), a global leader in interactive entertainment, today announced that its acquisition by PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners (collectively, the “Consortium”) has successfully closed," the release reads. "The Consortium’s agreement to acquire EA was previously announced on September 29, 2025, and was approved by EA stockholders at the special meeting of stockholders held on December 22, 2025." The press release is then littered with quotes from EA's CEO, PIF, Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner of Affinity Partners. Andrew Wilson of EA promised the company would "invest boldly, accelerate innovation, and build the next generation of games and experiences for the hundreds of millions of players and fans who inspire us every day." While Turqi Alnowaiser, deputy governor and head of international investments at PIF, said: "The Consortium is uniquely positioned to be a long-term partner to EA’s management team in driving sustained growth and innovation for EA and the industry.” The most concerning line in the press release came from Egon Durban, CEO and managing partner of Silver Lake. He said, "We’re proud to join with PIF and Affinity Partners to invest heavily in EA’s growth, including what AI can do to enhance game development and player experience." Given that sentiment around both this acquisition and AI in the video game industry, this was a bold statement to include. So, How Does EA's $20 Billion Debt Work? EA The $20 billion the consortium borrowed will be placed directly onto EA's balance sheet. This means that over time, the company will have to repay the money to JPMorgan from funds it finds elsewhere. Last year, EA made £887 million in operating profit, down from $1.21 billion the year before, and $1.24 billion the year before that. This means it's a long way from being in a position to repay $20 billion, especially with interest accruing on top of that. This money will have to come from somewhere. The Verge has previously speculated this could lead to more layoffs, following huge waves over the last few years, and there is every possibility that microtransactions in the company's games could become more aggressive as it seeks to recoup costs. With games like Apex Legends and EA Sports FC often criticized for their microtransactions, things could be about to get a lot worse. Battle passes, skins, and other cosmetics could potentially see price increases or more frequent appearances. Especially if they are easier for EA to generate with its new AI plans. There is also the possibility that, as we've seen with games like Grand Theft Auto 6 and Mario Kart World hitting $80, EA could be tempted to do the same. We've also recently seen EA introduce the ability for brands to spend upwards of $100,000 for in-game advertisements, showing it's clearly already looking for new ways to bankroll the company. Whichever route it takes, the outcome doesn't look good for consumers, especially if it continues to pay its CEO almost $40 million a year. Date Founded May 27, 1982 CEO Andrew Wilson Subsidiaries EA Sports, Respawn Entertainment, BioWare, EA Vancouver, DICE, Codemasters, EA Mobile Headquarters Redwood City, California, United States Known For FIFA, EA Sports UFC, Battlefield, Dragon Age, The Sims