The $55 Billion Deal to Take EA Private

The Journal.

The Wall Street Journal

Daily News, Business News, News

4.2 • 5.3K Ratings

🗓️ 3 October 2025

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A group of investors including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Jared Kushner’s investment firm are acquiring videogame maker Electronic Arts. The $55 billion deal is the largest leveraged buyout of all time. WSJ’s Lauren Thomas takes us inside the historic buyout, exploring the company's fandom and legacy. Ryan Knutson hosts. Further Listening: Camp Swamp Road Series Why Microsoft Is Paying $75 Billion for Activision Blizzard Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	EA.
0:02.0	Electronic Arts
0:07.0	E.A. Sports.
0:09.0	It's in the game.
0:11.0	E.A is the gaming company behind blockbuster hits like Madden.
0:16.0	They force the fumble.
0:18.0	The Sims.
0:19.0	Whoa, what I must that? Yeah, see.
0:21.6	The Battlefield franchise.
0:23.6	We have charge of objective, Charlie.
0:26.6	I can't move.
0:28.6	E.A's built iconic digital worlds.
0:31.6	It's set records.
0:32.6	It's made billions.
0:34.6	And in the process, let's just say it's had a complicated relationship with gamers.
0:41.3	EA, the most greediest gaming company going. Most money-hungry gaming company.
0:46.2	It's like, I won't play EA games anymore, but that's not enough.
0:49.5	Yeah, there's definitely been some negative, more negative sentiment around the company in recent years.
0:55.9	That's our colleague Lauren Thomas. She covers mergers and acquisitions. And she says that even though
1:01.4	some fans harbor complicated feelings about EA, investors love it. And one group of investors in particular.
1:09.5	Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, Silver Lake, big tech private equity firm,
1:15.7	and Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund. Very interesting kind of group.
	...

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