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Why the enormous Saudi-led deal to acquire EA matters, whether you play games or not
艺电艺电(US:EA) The Guardian·2025-10-01 14:00

When Microsoft announced its intention to buy Activision-Blizzard for a touch over 68bnin2022,itwasthebiggestdealeverstruckinthegamesindustry,andoneofthemostsurprising.Butthatshockpalesintocomparisontothereactiontothelatestbigmoveintheindustry:EA(ElectronicArts),thepublisherbestknownforitsjuggernautsportsgamesMaddenandEASportsFC(previouslycalledFifa),isbeingtakenprivateinthe“biggestleveragedbuyoutinhistory”.It’sadealworth68bn in 2022, it was the biggest deal ever struck in the games industry, and one of the most surprising. But that shock pales into comparison to the reaction to the latest big move in the industry: EA (Electronic Arts), the publisher best known for its juggernaut sports games Madden and EA Sports FC (previously called Fifa), is being taken private in the “biggest leveraged buyout in history”. It’s a deal worth 55bn, by a tr ...