Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is reportedly considering merging Electronic Arts with Savvy Games Group, potentially creating one of the world’s largest gaming companies.
The discussions come shortly after the completion of the $55 billion acquisition of EA, which took the publisher private for the first time in three decades.
EA and Savvy Games Group Could Be Merged
According to Bloomberg, PIF executives are considering combining EA and Savvy Games Group to improve coordination between Saudi Arabia’s growing collection of gaming investments.
No final decision has been made, and any potential merger reportedly wouldn’t happen until Savvy completes its $6 billion acquisition of mobile developer Moonton.
Combining the companies could give PIF a single gaming organization through which it could develop and publish games, manage intellectual property and pursue additional acquisitions.
It’s currently unclear what the corporate structure would look like. EA could potentially remain a distinct company within the combined organization, or one business could be absorbed into the other.
Any proposed merger would also need to pass the necessary regulatory processes.
EA’s New Ownership Is Already Under Scrutiny
EA has been under the control of an investment group including Saudi Arabia’s PIF, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners since August 5, with PIF holding the controlling interest.
The $55 billion transaction was described as the largest leveraged buyout in history and reportedly added approximately $20 billion in debt.
That debt has already raised questions about potential cost-cutting measures at EA, including concerns surrounding future layoffs and studio closures, although no such measures are confirmed as part of the reported merger discussions.
Neither EA nor PIF commented on Bloomberg’s report.
For now, an EA and Savvy Games Group merger remains under consideration rather than a finalized deal, but it could represent another major step in Saudi Arabia’s rapidly expanding presence across the global games industry.
