Electronic Arts is going private.
EA has agreed for Saudi Arabia’s PIF, Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners to acquire the gaming giant for $210 per share, which is a 25% premium to where EA traded before the talks leaked: https://lnkd.in/gWX6fpj2
That means the massive deal values the company at about $55 billion, the largest leveraged buyout on record.
EA is best known for video game series like Battlefield, Need for Speed, The Sims, Medal of Honor, Command & Conquer, Dead Space, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Army of Two, Apex Legends, and Star Wars, as well as EA Sports titles like FIFA, Madden NFL, NBA Live, NHL, PGA, and UFC.
Now, all that IP is going to be owned by private equity.
EA has long been criticized for not innovating enough with its video games and simply regurgitating the same game with minor changes every year.
That’s not exactly a fair characterization, but it could soon get a lot worse.
Let’s just say you shouldn’t hold your breath for the Saudis and Trump’s son-in-law to do something meaningful with EA’s IP.
This is strictly a business deal, and the gaming art form is unlikely to come out on top.
The deal is set to close next year, unless an even bigger buyer stops it.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many companies out there that would be willing to, let alone could afford to, spend more than $55 billion to save EA.
