Executive body deems the deal has "limited impact on competition in the markets where the companies are active". The EU Commission has cleared the $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
The EU Commission has cleared the $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The executive body approved the acquisition under the EU Merger Regulation, stating that it would not raise competition concerns due to its limited impact on the markets. The review procedure focuses on assessing whether proposed mergers impede effective competition in the EU. The consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, including Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, offered to acquire EA in September 2025, backed by over $20 billion in debt financing from JPMorgan. EA shareholders have already approved the acquisition, making it the largest leveraged buyout in history if regulatory review is successful.
Last October, the president of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) urged regulators to prevent foreign and private equity interests from destabilizing the American video game industry. US lawmakers have also called for a thorough review of the acquisition, considering EA's dominance in the domestic video game labor market. They emphasized the importance of investigating labor market consequences, including wage-setting power, potential layoffs post-transaction, labor-market concentration, and cross-ownership impact on labor outcomes to ensure a fair and competitive marketplace for workers.
