Electronic Arts Is Said to Near Takeover by Silver Lake, PIF

(Bloomberg) -- Electronic Arts Inc. is in talks to be taken private by a consortium led by Silver Lake Management and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The video-game maker, known for popular titles such as Madden NFL, The Sims and Battlefield, could announce a deal as soon as next week, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information.

Shares of Redwood City, California-based Electronic Arts were up 14% to $192.26 at 3:28 p.m. in New York, giving the company a market value of roughly $46 billion.

The Wall Street Journal reported on the talks earlier Friday. Representatives for Electronic Arts, Silver Lake and the PIF couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

A takeover of Electronic Arts would rank among the biggest deals announced so far in 2025 and potentially as the largest leveraged buyout of all time.

After struggling at the beginning of 2025 due the underperformance of its latest soccer game, EA Sports FC 25, Electronic Arts has bounced back, citing “better-than-expected contributions” across its portfolio in its most recent earnings call.

Electronic Arts will release Battlefield 6 on Oct. 10, competing with Microsoft Corp.’s Call of Duty for the video-game shooter market.

The takeover discussions coincide with a period of sluggish growth for the video-game industry, which has shed tens of thousands of jobs over the last three years following a swell of players during Covid lockdowns.

Earlier this year, Electronic Arts cut hundreds of staff, its third mass layoff since 2023.

--With assistance from Jason Schreier.

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