A consortium comprising Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners has completed its takeover of Electronic Arts. The deal places the publisher behind EA Sports FC 27 under PIF control.
PIF is Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, a state-owned investment fund that manages assets for the Saudi government. It also leads the investment group that owns Newcastle United. Therefore, one of football’s most influential digital products now sits within an ownership structure already established in the sport.
EA shareholders will receive $210 in cash for each share they held at closing. However, the widely cited $55 billion figure represents the transaction’s approximate enterprise value, not the amount paid directly to shareholders. EA’s common stock has stopped trading and will leave Nasdaq, completing the company’s move into private ownership.
The three-name buyer list can make the acquisition appear evenly divided. Regulatory language offers a more precise account. The European Commission approved PIF’s acquisition of sole control over EA. Silver Lake and Affinity Partners remain members of the purchasing consortium, but PIF is the controlling party.
The Newcastle connection also requires precision. The club identifies its owner as an investment group led by PIF and RB Sports & Media. PIF isn’t Newcastle’s only owner. In addition, the EA acquisition creates no announced corporate or operational relationship between the club and the game publisher. Still, both organizations now sit within investment structures led or controlled by the same fund.
The transaction extends football’s ownership era beyond clubs, transfers and broadcast rights. Corporate control of EA doesn’t give PIF authority over leagues, federations, players or the licenses that make EA Sports FC possible. However, it does give the fund control over the company that develops, markets and sells one of football’s largest game franchises.
EA’s next decisions will define the football impact
EA’s closing statement didn’t announce a specific change to EA Sports FC. Silver Lake said the new owners would invest in the company’s growth, including “what AI can do to enhance game development and player experience.” Yet the closing confirmed no companywide layoffs, new in-game monetization policy or change to FC’s licensing strategy. Claims that those outcomes are already settled remain predictions.
PIF’s interest in gaming predates this acquisition. The fund owns Savvy Games Group, whose portfolio includes Scopely and ESL FACEIT Group. EA adds a major global publisher with franchises across football, American football, motorsport, shooters and life simulation. Meanwhile, EA reported approximately $7.5 billion in net revenue for its 2026 fiscal year.
For football, the immediate change is ownership, not a confirmed alteration to the game. EA has announced no integration with Newcastle and no overhaul of EA Sports FC. There is also no evidence that its licensing arrangements changed when the transaction closed. The fund leading Newcastle’s ownership group now controls EA. Ultimately, the decisions and products that follow will reveal what that control means for EA Sports FC.
