Electronic Arts completes $55 billion buyout, becomes privately held after Nasdaq delisting

Electronic Arts has become a privately owned company after a $55 billion acquisition led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund alongside Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, a deal that closed on August 4, 2026 and resulted in EA’s shares being delisted from the NASDAQ.

The consortium completed the transaction that transfers ownership of the publisher away from public markets. Under the terms disclosed at completion, every shareholder will receive $210 in cash for each share they owned at the time the deal closed. Electronic Arts’ stock removal from Nasdaq follows the payout and the formal transfer of control to the investor group.

EA’s chief executive, Andrew Wilson, said the company is entering a new phase with the investors and that they share the company’s long-term vision; he added the ownership change will enable EA to continue developing games with a player-first approach while maintaining creative independence across studios. The company also stated there are no immediate changes announced for its game development studios.

Silver Lake issued a statement saying the investment team is committed to assisting EA’s future endeavors, including further investment in AI technologies that could help improve the player experience and game development. That commitment was presented as part of the consortium’s broader rationale for the buyout.

The buyout removes EA from the requirement to disclose quarterly results to public shareholders. The company said operating outside public markets will allow it to prioritise longer-term business planning without the cadence of reporting every three months.

Electronic Arts confirmed that development teams will retain full control over their projects and that the publisher will continue to deliver games across its major franchises. No immediate operational or studio-level changes were announced alongside the closing of the transaction.

With the acquisition finalised and shareholders paid out, EA will operate under the new private ownership structure led by the Public Investment Fund with Silver Lake and Affinity Partners as partners, and the company has indicated its stated priorities for investment and creative continuity under that ownership.