The sale of Electronic Arts (EA) to a group led by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) has moved another step closer to completion.
On Thursday, it was announced that the European Commission has approved the acquisition of the company under the EU Merger Regulation.
Sale Approval Was Expected
The news should come to no one’s surprise, as it had largely been expected that the Commission would approve the deal that would put EA under the ownership of the PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners.
“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,” they wrote. “The notified transaction was examined under the normal merger review procedure.”
When it was announced last year, the expected closing date of the transaction was the end of the first quarter of fiscal year 2027. However, that language was dropped from EA earnings reports ahead of the date, and there’s currently no set date for when they expect that purchase to be completed.
When it closes, EA will take on $20 billion in new debt.
Recently, EA held its third round of layoffs in 2026, affecting staff in “non-development roles”. Prior layoffs this year included employees across all of Battlefield Studios in what was described as a “realignment”.
What do you think of the European Commission approving the sale of EA that would take the company private and under ownership of the Saudi Arabia PIF? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion in the official Insider Gaming Discord.
In other news, Stalker 2 developer GSC Game World has shut down claims that Xbox paid more than the game’s development cost to make it exclusive. And for even more Insider Gaming delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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