{"id":5548,"date":"2026-07-31T06:25:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T06:25:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/?p=5548"},"modified":"2026-07-31T06:25:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T06:25:57","slug":"electronic-arts-55-billion-sale-very-near","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/electronic-arts-55-billion-sale-very-near\/","title":{"rendered":"Electronic Arts\u2019 $55 Billion Sale Expected to Close on August 4"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p data-block-type=\"core\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ea.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Electronic Arts<\/a> is preparing to become a privately owned company<\/strong>, with its historic $55 billion acquisition expected to close on <strong>Tuesday, August 4, 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">In a newly published filing with the <strong>U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission<\/strong>, EA confirmed that it has now received all required regulatory approvals for the transaction. The company is being acquired by an investment consortium led by Saudi Arabia\u2019s <strong>Public Investment Fund<\/strong>, alongside <strong>Silver Lake<\/strong> and <strong>Affinity Partners<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">The deal still depends on several standard closing conditions being completed or waived, but EA currently expects the sale to be finalized next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" data-block-type=\"core\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"623\" data-src=\"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-38-1024x623.png\" alt=\"Electronic Arts\" class=\"wp-image-5560 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-38-1024x623.png 1024w, https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-38-300x182.png 300w, https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-38-768x467.png 768w, https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-38.png 1194w\" data-sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/623;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ea-will-no-longer-be-a-publicly-traded-company\" data-block-type=\"core\">EA Will No Longer Be a Publicly Traded Company<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">Once the acquisition is complete, Electronic Arts will leave the public stock market and operate under the control of its new private ownership group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">The sale was first announced in <strong>September 2025<\/strong> and is valued at approximately <strong>$55 billion<\/strong>, making it the largest leveraged buyout ever completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">Funding for the transaction reportedly includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" data-block-type=\"core\">\n<li data-block-type=\"core\">Approximately $36 billion in equity investment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li data-block-type=\"core\">Around $20 billion in new debt financing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li data-block-type=\"core\">More than 93% ownership for Saudi Arabia\u2019s Public Investment Fund<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">The total funding exceeds the listed purchase price because it also covers financing costs and other expenses connected to the acquisition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"andrew-wilson-will-remain-ea-s-ceo\" data-block-type=\"core\">Andrew Wilson Will Remain EA\u2019s CEO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">Despite the ownership change, EA\u2019s senior leadership and headquarters are not expected to move immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\"><strong>Andrew Wilson will remain Chief Executive Officer<\/strong>, while the company will continue operating from its headquarters in <strong>Redwood City, California<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">EA\u2019s major studios, franchises, and publishing divisions will therefore remain under the same corporate structure for the time being, although future strategic changes are possible once the new owners assume control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-deal-was-delayed-by-regulatory-approvals\" data-block-type=\"core\">The Deal Was Delayed by Regulatory Approvals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">EA originally expected the transaction to close near the end of its 2026 fiscal year in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">However, the company still needed to secure several regulatory approvals, pushing the expected completion date back by approximately one month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">With those approvals now obtained, EA says the transaction is on track to close on August 4, provided the remaining customary conditions are satisfied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"next-kratos-led-god-of-war-will-continue-the-story-after-god-of-war-laufey\" data-block-type=\"core\"><a href=\"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/next-god-of-war-laufey-game-to-continue-kratos-journey\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"5473\">Next Kratos-Led God of War Will Continue the Story After God of War: Laufey<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-related-posts rank-math-related-posts rank-math-related-grid-vertical  wp-block-rank-math-related-posts\" data-layout=\"grid-vertical\"><h2 class=\"rank-math-related-heading\">Related Posts<\/h2><div class=\"rank-math-related-wrap\"><article class=\"rank-math-related-item\"><a class=\"rank-math-related-thumb\" href=\"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/god-of-war-laufey-director-explains-how-the-game-combines-classic-and-modern-god-of-war\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-src=\"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/HKEqdgQXwAAcwXQ-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image lazyload\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\" \/><\/a><h3 class=\"rank-math-related-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/god-of-war-laufey-director-explains-how-the-game-combines-classic-and-modern-god-of-war\/\">God of War: Laufey Director Explains How The Game Combines Classic And Modern God Of War<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"rank-math-related-excerpt\">Sony Santa Monica&#8217;s newly announced God of War: Laufey is shaping up to be one of the franchise&#8217;s most ambitious entries yet. Revealed during the recent <a href=\"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/category\/playstation\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"PlayStation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PlayStation<\/a> State of Play, the game shifts the spotlight away from Kratos and places players in control of his wife, Laufey, as she embarks on a journey through the [&hellip;]<\/div><\/article><article class=\"rank-math-related-item\"><a class=\"rank-math-related-thumb\" href=\"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/after-god-of-war-laufey-kratos-leads\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-src=\"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/god-of-war-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image lazyload\" alt=\"God of War: Laufey\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\" \/><\/a><h3 class=\"rank-math-related-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/after-god-of-war-laufey-kratos-leads\/\">Next Kratos-Led God of War Will Continue the Story After God of War: Laufey<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"rank-math-related-excerpt\">Sony Santa Monica has confirmed that the next God of War game starring Kratos will directly continue the events of God of War: Laufey, establishing the upcoming title as an essential chapter in the franchise&#8217;s future. The announcement was made during San Diego Comic-Con 2026, where Cory Barlog, creative director at Santa Monica Studio, revealed [&hellip;]<\/div><\/article><article class=\"rank-math-related-item\"><a class=\"rank-math-related-thumb\" href=\"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/god-of-war-tv-series-to-recast-kratos\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-src=\"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-17-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image lazyload\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\" \/><\/a><h3 class=\"rank-math-related-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/god-of-war-tv-series-to-recast-kratos\/\">God of War TV Series to Recast Kratos After Ryan Hurst Suffers On-Set Injury<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"rank-math-related-excerpt\">The upcoming God of War television series has reportedly hit an unexpected setback, as actor Ryan Hurst will no longer portray Kratos following a serious injury sustained during production. According to multiple reports, Hurst suffered a torn bicep while filming Amazon Prime Video&#8217;s adaptation of the beloved PlayStation franchise. The injury reportedly required surgery and [&hellip;]<\/div><\/article><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"employees-are-concerned-about-possible-layoffs\" data-block-type=\"core\">Employees Are Concerned About Possible Layoffs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">The acquisition has raised concerns among employees because EA will take on approximately <strong>$20 billion in new debt<\/strong> as part of the transaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">Companies involved in leveraged buyouts often face pressure to reduce costs and improve profitability to manage their new financial obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">EA has already experienced several rounds of layoffs since the deal was announced, and employees at studios including <strong>BioWare<\/strong> have reportedly expressed concern that additional job cuts could follow the acquisition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">There is currently no official confirmation of a larger restructuring plan, but the amount of debt involved has intensified speculation about possible studio closures, project cancellations, or further workforce reductions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a-historic-change-for-electronic-arts\" data-block-type=\"core\">A Historic Change for Electronic Arts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">Electronic Arts has operated as a publicly traded company for decades and remains one of the largest publishers in the video game industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">Its portfolio includes major franchises such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" data-block-type=\"core\">\n<li data-block-type=\"core\">EA Sports FC<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li data-block-type=\"core\">Madden NFL<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li data-block-type=\"core\">Battlefield<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li data-block-type=\"core\">The Sims<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li data-block-type=\"core\">Apex Legends<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li data-block-type=\"core\">Mass Effect<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li data-block-type=\"core\">Dragon Age<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">The completion of the $55 billion sale will mark one of the most significant ownership changes in gaming history, placing EA and its biggest franchises under the control of a private investment group led by Saudi Arabia\u2019s Public Investment Fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#ea-will-no-longer-be-a-publicly-traded-company\">EA Will No Longer Be a Publicly Traded Company<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#andrew-wilson-will-remain-ea-s-ceo\">Andrew Wilson Will Remain EA\u2019s CEO<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-deal-was-delayed-by-regulatory-approvals\">The Deal Was Delayed by Regulatory Approvals<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#next-kratos-led-god-of-war-will-continue-the-story-after-god-of-war-laufey\">Next Kratos-Led God of War Will Continue the Story After God of War: Laufey<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#employees-are-concerned-about-possible-layoffs\">Employees Are Concerned About Possible Layoffs<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#a-historic-change-for-electronic-arts\">A Historic Change for Electronic Arts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Electronic Arts is preparing to become a privately owned company, with its historic $55 billion acquisition expected to close on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. In a newly published filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, EA confirmed that it has now received all required regulatory approvals for the transaction. The company is being acquired [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_gspb_post_css":"","_shortscore_rating":"","_shortscore_game":"","_shortscore_summary":"","iawp_total_views":4,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"ohg_news_type":[170],"ohg_game":[],"ohg_company":[],"ohg_platform":[],"class_list":["post-5548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","ohg_news_type-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5548"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5561,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5548\/revisions\/5561"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5548"},{"taxonomy":"ohg_news_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ohg_news_type?post=5548"},{"taxonomy":"ohg_game","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ohg_game?post=5548"},{"taxonomy":"ohg_company","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ohg_company?post=5548"},{"taxonomy":"ohg_platform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ohg_platform?post=5548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}