Electronic Arts Nears Record $50 Billion Buyout as It Wins Domain Dispute
Oct/08/2025
Electronic Arts (EA), the publisher behind Madden NFL, The Sims and FC 25, is reportedly close to a $50 billion leveraged buyout led by Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners—potentially the largest such deal in history. The move comes as the California-based gaming giant continues to restructure amid industry turbulence and criticism of its aggressive monetization practices. EA, which earned $7.6 billion in revenue last year, is reorganized into two divisions—EA Sports and EA Entertainment—following layoffs and project cancellations. Meanwhile, EA prevailed in a recent WIPO arbitration case, winning control of the domains plantsvszombiesmerch.com and plantsvszombies.store, which had been used to sell counterfeit "official" merchandise under its Plants vs. Zombies franchise. The decision underscored the company’s global brand protection efforts as it deepens ties with sovereign wealth investors and seeks stability amid volatile gaming markets.
