WSJ: Electronic Arts set for $50 billion sale

According to insider reports, Electronic Arts is in talks over a potential sale to a private consortium in a deal valued at around $50 billion, The Wall Street Journal reports. If finalized, the transaction would mark the largest leveraged buyout in corporate history.

The group of investors reportedly includes Silver Lake, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, and Affinity Partners, an investment firm founded by Jared Kushner. An official announcement could come as early as next week. Following the news, EA’s stock surged by 15%.

Over the years, EA has acquired numerous studios, including BioWare, and published major franchises such as Battlefield, Dragon Age, The Sims, Need for Speed, Dead Space, Mass Effect, Apex Legends, along with Star Wars titles developed in partnership with Disney. Its EA Sports division is renowned for sports series like FIFA, NBA Live, and NHL.

Since the 2010s, however, the company has faced ongoing financial challenges, with repeated layoffs, studio closures, and shifts in ownership talks. Back in 2022, rumors circulated that EA was exploring a sale to major corporations including Apple, Disney, and NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal reportedly came close to a deal that would have seen EA integrated following a Comcast spinoff, while Amazon was also linked to discussions before losing interest.

In recent years, the situation worsened. By 2023, EA initiated deeper cuts, splitting into EA Sports and EA Entertainment, while transferring Star Wars: The Old Republic to Broadsword. BioWare suffered a 20% workforce reduction, sparking lawsuits.

In 2024, EA laid off 5% of staff and canceled an unannounced Star Wars project, announcing a pivot toward original IPs. Early 2025 brought more setbacks as disappointing sales of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and EA Sports FC 25 triggered a 16% stock plunge in a single day. This led to further layoffs at BioWare and the disbandment of the Veilguard team. In April, another 300 employees were cut and a planned Titanfall game was canceled. Throughout the year, EA continued downsizing and shelving projects.