# EA Goes Private as $55 Billion Buyout Closes > Electronic Arts has completed its acquisition by PIF, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, ending its Nasdaq listing while reported ownership and debt details remain distinct from the official closing record. _Source: The Verge; EA completion announcement; EA CEO note · 2026-08-05 · 7 min read · Verified against primary sources_ Canonical: https://iyu.app/e/ea-private-55b-buyout ## The 60-second version EA completed its approximately $55 billion sale to PIF, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners and is now a private company. **Key points** - EA says shareholders receive $210 in cash per share, trading has ceased and the stock will be delisted from Nasdaq. - The agreement was announced on September 29, 2025, approved by shareholders on December 22 and closed on August 4, 2026. - The Verge reports that PIF owns 93.4% and that the transaction includes $20 billion of debt financing; those details require attribution. - EA reports approximately $7.5 billion in fiscal 2026 GAAP net revenue, which is revenue rather than profit or deal value. - The cited sources do not establish future layoffs, studio closures or changes in creative strategy. **Verdict.** The change to private ownership is final, but the financing terms and their operating consequences require more disclosure before firm conclusions are justified. ## Full explainer Electronic Arts **completed** its approximately $55 billion acquisition by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners on August 4, 2026. EA is now privately held, its shares have stopped trading, and the company says they will be delisted from Nasdaq. > **i** Evidence boundary: EA's completion announcement confirms the closing, buyer group, cash consideration and end of public trading. The 93.4% PIF ownership figure and $20 billion debt-financing figure are reported by The Verge, not presented in the same detail in EA's announcement. ### Closing record — What EA officially confirmed EA says shareholders are entitled to **$210 in cash for each share** of common stock. The company describes the transaction as carrying an enterprise value of approximately $55 billion and identifies PIF, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners as the acquiring consortium. - **$55B** — approximate transaction enterprise value stated by EA - **$210** — cash consideration for each EA share - **Aug. 4** — 2026 closing date announced by EA - **Agreement announced:** September 29, 2025 - **Shareholder approval:** December 22, 2025 - **Transaction closed:** August 4, 2026 - **Public-market status:** Trading ceased; EA says the shares will be delisted from Nasdaq EA also reports approximately **$7.5 billion in fiscal 2026 GAAP net revenue**. Revenue helps show the scale of the operating company, but it is not profit, cash flow or the purchase price, so it should not be used as a direct measure of the buyer group's return. ### Capital structure — What is reported rather than officially detailed [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/games/974736/ea-private-company-deal-closed) reports that PIF owns **93.4%** of EA following completion. The publication also reports **$20 billion in debt financing** and describes the transaction as the largest leveraged buyout. > **!** Reported financing figures do not disclose the complete burden on EA by themselves. The cited sources do not fully specify the borrowing entities, rates, maturities, collateral or covenants, so the operating effect cannot yet be calculated from the $20 billion figure alone. The distinction is material. **Transaction value** describes the scale of the acquisition; **debt financing** describes part of the funding mix. Without the underlying financing terms, it would be premature to state how much debt sits directly on EA's balance sheet or what constraints it may place on individual studios. ### Governance — Private ownership changes the reporting framework Delisting removes EA from daily public-market pricing and ends public shareholders' ownership. The company will operate under a concentrated private owner group, with fewer of the routine disclosures associated with a Nasdaq-listed issuer, although legal and contractual reporting obligations still remain. Chief executive Andrew Wilson's note presents the closing as EA's next chapter and signals leadership continuity. It does not announce a new game strategy, staffing plan or studio structure. The available sources therefore do not support predictions of layoffs, closures or changes to creative control as established facts. > The closing is confirmed; the precise post-deal ownership and debt architecture should retain its reported attribution. ### Practical meaning — What to watch after the closing - **Financing disclosures:** terms that show where the reported debt sits and how it is serviced. - **Governance decisions:** any formal changes to the board, executive authority or reporting cadence. - **Operating evidence:** budgets, staffing and release decisions announced by EA, rather than inferred from the buyout structure. - **Financial performance:** revenue, cash generation and investment after the company leaves public markets. > **>** The useful reading rule is simple: treat EA's private status, buyer group, $210 cash price and delisting as confirmed; retain explicit attribution for the 93.4% ownership and $20 billion debt figures. ## Primary sources - [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/games/974736/ea-private-company-deal-closed) - [EA completion announcement](https://www.ea.com/news/ea-announces-completion-of-acquisition) - [EA CEO note](https://www.ea.com/news/our-next-chapter) --- _Published by iyu (https://iyu.app) — the day's AI news, checked against primary sources and rewritten in plain language. 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