Gaming: Electronic Arts Sale!
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
It has been announced that Electronic Arts (EA), one of the biggest gaming companies in the world, has agreed to sell the company for US$55 billion (around €46.8 billion) to a consortium of buyers, which include the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF).
It is reported that a significant amount of the purchase price is being financed by borrowing. The sale will take EA private and thus EA shares will no longer be traded on a stock exchange.
EA is known for making and publishing best-selling games such as EA FC, formerly known as Fifa. For example, Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala feature on the cover of the EA latest football game, EA FC 26, which was released in September 2025.
EA football titles have sold 325 million copies since their first release in 1993.
Saudi Arabia has made waves in the eSports industry, hosting major tournaments including the eSports World Cup, and it will also host the 2027 planned Olympic Esports Games.
Is the PIF involvement in the purchase of EA shares yet another example, as some would claim, of ‘sportswashing’ to improve the Kingdom’s international image through sport?
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
