Saudi Arabia's divisive EA buyout approved under EU merger rules

Senior Editor, News,GameDeveloper.com

July 23, 2026

2 Min Read

Image via European Commission (© European Union, 202X, licensed under CC BY 4.0)

A consortium that includes Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund has received approval from the European Commission to acquire Battlefield and EA Sports FC maker Electronic Arts in a take-private deal worth $55 billion.

The commission approved the move under its EA Merger Regulation rules after concluding the deal will not "raise competition concerns" because of a perceived "limited impact on competition in the markets where the companies are active."

"The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of Electronic Arts Inc. of the US by the Public Investment Fund (‘PIF') of Saudi Arabia. The transaction relates primarily to the production and distribution of video games for mobile devices, PCs and consoles, as well as the organisation and commercialisation of video game competitions, commonly referred to as electronic sports events," reads an update on the European Commission website.

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"The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given its limited impact on competition in the markets where the companies are active. The notified transaction was examined under the normal merger review procedure."

The European Commission works to scrutinize proposed mergers irrespective of where a company is located, if it feels those companies involved could impact markets within the European Union.

In an explainer on its website, the organization said it strives to examine whether proposed mergers could harm competition in the region. "If it is considered that a merger will not harm competition, it is approved unconditionally. Conversely, if a merger would harm competition, suitable commitments will be proposed by the merging firms to remove the harm. In the absence of such commitments, problematic mergers must be prohibited to protect businesses and consumers," the commission states.

It has been just under a year since a group of investors including Saudi Arabia's state-backed Public Investment Fund (PIF) Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners—the latter of which is the investment firm established by U.S. president Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner—announced their intention to take EA private.

In December 2025, it was revealed PIF will hold a 93.4 percent stake in EA if the buyout is approved. The investment fund has made significant inroads into the video game industry in recent years, albeit not without controversy.

Saudi Arabia crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman—who continues to be questioned over alleged links to the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi and has faced criticism over reported human rights abuses—chairs the fund, raising questions as to whether or not EA could be used as a vehicle for culture washing.

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Although the merger has been approved by the European Commission, a number of politicians in the United States have urged local regulator the Federal Trade Commission to heavily scrutinize the move.

About the Author

Senior Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton.