Electronic Arts, the publisher behind the EA FC series, The Sims, and Battlefield, has officially confirmed its decision to go private in a historic buyout deal. The American gaming giant has entered into a definitive acquisition agreement with a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners, in an all-cash transaction valued at $55 billion.
Under the agreement, EA stockholders will receive $210 per share in cash, a 25% premium to the company’s unaffected share price. Once finalized, which is expected to close in Q1 FY27, this will stand as the largest all-cash sponsor-led take-private deal in history, cementing a landmark moment for the gaming industry.
This landmark development has triggered wide-ranging reactions from players as well as detailed insights from industry veterans. To understand what this deal means for the gaming world, we gathered perspectives from 12 voices across the industry.
Ali Farha, Senior Technical Producer at Star Stable Entertainment AB; Montgomery Singman, Managing Partner at Radiance Strategic Solutions; Artur Davydenko, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Meta; Michal Bubernik, Head of Marketing Team at Pixel Federation; Alexis Argyriou, CEO at The Bureau Consulting LTD; Roman Safiyulin, Chief Corporate Development Officer, GDEV; Fátima Castro Franco, Product Marketing Specialist, Gamelight; Christian Lovstedt, CEO, Midjiwan; Robin NG, Senior General Manager – Mobile Publishing, SEGA Singapore; Anastasia Zaiceva, CCO at ZiMAD; Mattias Wiking, Co-Owner and Chairman of the Board, Aurora Punks; and Jernej Česen, COO, Outfit7, shared their thoughts on this new deal.
What the Experts Had to Say About the Mega Deal
The buyout is being viewed as a major moment for the gaming industry. Ali Farha compared it to the football transfer market, where a single record-breaking move sparks a domino effect. “What we’re seeing with Electronic Arts going private feels very similar to the transfer market in football when a single record-breaking signing sets off a chain reaction,” he explained.
Calling it a “landmark event”, Artur Davydenko noted that global gaming’s five-year CAGR is just +1.2%, while top public publishers average +2.5%. “This indicates that organic growth is moderating, and scale is increasingly important to manage development costs, attract talent, secure IP, and maintain revenue stability,” he explained.
Alexis Argyriou said he wasn’t “shocked by the announcement”. He echoed that this deal may accelerate private equity’s involvement in gaming. “We will see more private funds acquiring game studios in the future, even if this is probably the last deal of this magnitude,” he predicted.
For Robin Ng, this development was “shocking”. He said that companies, “especially that EA, despite its high valuation, could be acquired in this way.”
Anastasia Zaiceva sees this as a “defining moment for the global games industry”. “In today’s environment, where social media can spark worldwide debates within seconds and market valuations can swing rapidly, stepping out of the public spotlight may provide EA with greater stability and freedom to prioritize long-term initiatives,” she said.
For Jernej Česen, it was “a natural and expected shift in the industry we’re part of.” He adds: “After the initial wave of investment funds during the Hypercasual ‘craziness’ years ago, followed by horizontal and vertical consolidation, we’ve now entered a mature phase.”
He commented further: “What’s even more important is what these companies have in common: strong IP, loyal user bases, high-quality products, and portfolios that extend beyond mobile games. Investors recognize IP not only as valuable in gaming but also as a foundation for expansion into complementary areas and product extensions.”
EA Going Private “Might” Not Be Good News for Employees or Players
While some see opportunity, others are more skeptical. Montgomery Singman, who worked on John Madden Football in the early ’90s, described EA’s early days as “a magical place” built on creativity and passion. “But somewhere along the line, the magic faded. The company got more corporate, creativity took a back seat, and making games became just another process,” he said.
For Singman, the buyout risks deepening this decline. “It feels like the final chapter—selling off what made EA special and turning it into just another financial asset,” he explained. He further commented: “Honestly, I don’t think this is good news for EA employees or its players, because I don’t see how this will bring the creative soul back to EA. I’m not interested in demonizing executives for doing what they do; chasing profit is their role, and assigning blame doesn’t change the outcome.”
He pointed to neglected franchises such as Burnout, Medal of Honor, Command & Conquer, and SimCity as proof of a fading legacy. “If you don’t keep putting out updates, these storied IPs lose value and quickly slip into irrelevance, just like EA itself has in recent years.”
He also highlighted EA’s weak presence in mobile, despite it being the industry’s biggest growth driver for more than a decade. “Unless there’s a radical change of direction, this buyout won’t revive creativity or passion at EA. Instead, it will likely deepen the disconnect between the company, its employees, and the players who once cared so deeply,” Singman cautioned.
Robin Ng echoed similar concerns about employees, citing reorganization and workforce impact: “With any acquisition, the first thing new owners typically evaluate is organizational structure. Reorganizations and workforce reductions are almost certain. Job losses appear inevitable, and the direction under new ownership remains uncertain.”
He added that multiple studios and projects are likely to face scrutiny:“Each will be assessed for value and strategic alignment. This process is standard in acquisitions as new owners seek to streamline operations and cut unnecessary costs.”
A Helping Hand for EA’s Long-Term Strategy
There are many opinions that this private ownership could give EA a chance to escape short-term pressures, and our experts shared a balanced view on it as well.
Artur Davydenko argued that moving off public markets could give the company “greater flexibility to focus on long-term initiatives, without the immediate pressures of quarterly reporting and public market volatility.” He pointed to Ubisoft’s recent restructuring as a comparable case.
He also suggested that private ownership opens doors to riskier but more forward-looking investments. “Being private makes it easier to invest in long-term, risky bets. EA would have more discretion over the timing and detail of its strategic communications, which can be advantageous in a competitive landscape,” he said, citing live service games, subscriptions, and direct-to-consumer storefronts as areas where EA could enhance player engagement and diversify revenue.
Saying EA is a “well-oiled machine”, Argyriou agreed that shifting private would also give the benefit of having more experiments. “Shifting to private ownership will allow EA to be more agile, experiment more with their lesser-used IPs, and propose new experiences without the risk of upsetting shareholders,” he explained.
Roman Safiyulin added that this is not a “response to the crisis” but “a proactive step to accelerate innovation and long-term growth.” He highlighted that this will help EA’s long-term initiatives be more efficient, with goals such as expanding EA’s player base to one billion and scaling AI capabilities.
“With the backing of patient capital, EA could invest more aggressively in new technologies, live-service ecosystems, and global expansion – especially into emerging markets like the Middle East,” he further added.
Sharing a similar thought on EA’s private move, Fátima Castro Franco said: “EA would gain more freedom to invest in new technology, expand its IP, or rethink its live-service strategy, without the constant pressure of quarterly results.”
Mattias Wiking reflected on the acquisition from a production perspective. He noted that most M&A deals are aimed at optimizing existing pipelines or extracting resources, but in EA’s case, there seems to be a stronger belief in improving how games are made.
“Either in a way that the games can be improved to the next level, and therefore be a stronger competitor in the market, or they see ways to optimize the cost of making games. For both directions, AI might be the solution, and it has been mentioned,” he said. While he acknowledged AI can already assist in data analysis or text writing, he remained skeptical: “Would it improve a game that much, or replace individuals and still maintain quality? Not sure yet.”
The Shifting Balance of Ownership in the Industry
Lovstedt cautioned that it may be unhealthy for the industry if too much ownership is concentrated in one region of the world. He further stated: “I hope this acquisition will be treated as a long-term investment that supports the growth of EA’s IPs and studios, with a focus on creating innovative games rather than operating purely as a short-term cash flow business.”
“We may see something bigger coming from the Saudi guys with all these acquisitions. This acquisition could be part of a broader strategy, particularly from Saudi investors, to strengthen their presence across the gaming and esports ecosystem,” said Robin Ng.
He reminded us of the insane portfolio they have: Scopely, Niantic, and ESL, alongside investments in Activision, Nintendo, Take-Two, Embracer, Nexon, Capcom, SNK, Hero Esports, and others aside from EA.
“Private ownership will bring its own demands”, Anastasia Zaiceva shared. She explains that investors will be expecting efficiency, disciplined growth, and sustainable monetization models.
For competitors, she explained: “This shift could prompt a reassessment of organizational structures and capital strategies, highlighting that financial design and reputation management are becoming as influential as creativity and innovation in shaping the future of gaming.”
According to Davydenko, EA’s move may spark competitive reactions across the industry. This transaction could encourage other publishers to “pursue scale through partnerships or acquisitions and to invest in innovation across platforms and business models.” He summarizes by saying, “This transaction could serve as a catalyst for further industry evolution.”
What This Deal Means for Gaming
Ali Farha believes this move “opens the door for further mega acquisitions”. “Once one player breaks the ceiling, others inevitably follow. The industry as we know it is entering a new era, and the ripple effects will fundamentally reshape not just who owns the biggest publishers, but also how games are made, priced, and brought to market,” he shared.
For Michal Bubernik, the main impact lies in valuations rather than competition. “It might change the amount of money in the future buyouts in the gaming industry,” he said, while suggesting long-term strategies or competitive dynamics would remain largely the same.
Adding to his lines about private equity going all in, Alexis shares: “With ownership rapidly changing and consolidated giants quickly divesting assets, we might see a game industry that will seek to heal away from public markets and emerge leaner, more aggressive, pushing to experiment more and be less risk averse.”
While the move may prompt some reevaluation of how game companies engage with public markets, Roman Safiyulin noted that it’s too early to call it a trend. He noted: “It reinforces two existing dynamics: industry consolidation and the increasing role of long-term private capital. For the gaming sector, this means that the largest sources of capital may increasingly come from outside traditional public markets.”
He further called this deal “a major turning point for the gaming industry”. Roman stated: “It would accelerate ongoing consolidation, leaving fewer truly independent publishers and shifting power toward platform owners, private equity–backed giants, and sovereign wealth funds.”
Fatima noted that, for the industry as a whole, such a move would underscore how much scale and financial backing now matter. She added that “Mid-sized publishers would face even more pressure, either to specialize or find partners, while the gap between mega-publishers and indie creators would keep getting bigger.” In the long run, she explained, this could “accelerate the industry’s polarization.”
Jernej added that the industry has now reached a more mature phase, and shares: “It’s time to put new cards on the table, to refocus our mindset and, with new funding, evolve toward where users are heading. Every stage of industry evolution requires a different mindset and ownership structure, one that enables growth while staying true to the core.”
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