Saudi Arabia’s EA Takeover Set To Clear EU Hurdle
After announcing its $55 billion acquisition of EA in September 2025, the European Union is reportedly set to approve Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) purchase at the end of July, according to new reporting from Reuters.
After announcing its $55 billion acquisition of EA in September 2025, the European Union is reportedly set to approve Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) purchase at the end of July, according to new reporting from Reuters.
As per Reuters, the EU is expected to approve Saudi Arabia's PIF acquisition of EA by the end of July. This follows the completion of the EU's preliminary review under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) on July 22, with the deal set to be cleared on July 30. The acquisition is anticipated to receive unconditional EU clearance under merger rules, despite previous criticism of the FSR for being overly bureaucratic.
The deal, which involves Saudi Arabia’s PIF, Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, has been under scrutiny since September 2025. EA acknowledged the risks of the sale to Saudi Arabia but reassured that it would retain creative control. However, post-purchase, the majority of EA's control is expected to shift to Saudi Arabia's PIF, causing unrest among gamers and leading to protests at EA's headquarters. If all goes smoothly, this acquisition will become the second-largest gaming buyout, following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023.
