Battlefield and EA Sports FC maker could be about to go private, as “advanced talks” of a $50 billion buyout have emerged.
The Wall Street Journal reports that a group of private investors, including Silver Lake and Saudi Arabia’s Private Investment Fund, are willing to stump up for the publisher in one of the biggest acquisitions in video game history.
The plan, according to those familiar with matter, is to significantly improve the publisher’s performance while it’s private, and then sell it on for a much higher price.
But obviously there will be concerns, particularly with Saudi Arabia’s influence over the gaming industry continuing to grow.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been working to make Saudi Arabia’s economy less reliant on oil, and the PIF has subsequently poured billions into the likes of Take-Two, Nintendo, and, yes, EA.
We suspect with reports of this hitting the headlines, a deal may be close – but there’s always a strong possibility the discussions could yet collapse.
We’ll just have to keep a close eye on the situation and we’ll update you if there’s any word of this story developing further.
