The family business · Second term · № 50
Kushner's Affinity Partners joins Saudi sovereign wealth fund in $55 billion Electronic Arts buyout
“We're excited to support the company as it continues to reach new audiences, inspire the next generation of creators, and expand the ways people around the world connect through play.” Jared Kushner
- Date
- , Electronic Arts press release on completion of the acquisition, August 4, 2026
- Subject
- Saudi Arabia
- Benefit
- Investments and funds
- Government
- Saudi Arabia
- Beneficiary
- Jared Kushner (Affinity Partners)
- Topic
- Ethics & conflicts
- Era
- Second term
What happened
Electronic Arts announced on September 29, 2025 that it had agreed to be acquired for $55 billion, or $210 a share in cash, by a consortium of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners. Shareholders approved the deal on December 22, 2025 and it closed on August 4, 2026. AGBI reported that the Public Investment Fund controls nearly all of the acquisition vehicle and, citing Bloomberg, that Kushner introduced the fund to EA and led talks for months before the deal came together. The Saudi fund had earlier invested $2 billion in Affinity, according to congressional investigators cited by Reuters. A Morningstar analyst quoted by CNBC wrote that the deal was all but certain to close without regulatory hurdles, given the Saudi government's favorable relationship with the current US administration. Affinity did not respond to AGBI's request for comment.
Sources
- EA Announces Completion of Acquisition by PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners
- EA's $55 billion deal delivers a win for investors, but raises uncertainty for gamers
- Saudi wealth fund and Jared Kushner's Affinity finalize $55 billion EA Sports deal
- Kushner's Affinity blurs the lines between politics and Gulf capital
- Kushner's Affinity's assets jump to $4.8 billion after Gulf cash injection
- Saudi Arabia: Freedom in the World 2025 Country Report