Saudi fund snags EA in $55 billion deal

Deal Overview - Electronic Arts (EA) is set to go private in a $55 billion deal, potentially the largest leveraged buyout in Wall Street history, led by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund (PIF) [1] - The PIF will own a majority stake in EA after the deal, with Infinity and Silverlake splitting the rest [5] - EA has 45 days to solicit other offers before accepting this deal [6] Saudi Arabia's Investment in Gaming - The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been investing heavily in gaming to build a video game juggernaut, encompassing mobile gaming and esports [2] - Before the EA deal, the PIF already owned nearly 10% of Electronic Arts, about 6% of Take 2, and about 4% of Nintendo [3] - The PIF acquired the Pokemon Go game for $35 billion and the parent company of Monopoly Go for almost $5 billion [4] Market Trends and Company Performance - The deal comes amid a slump in the video game industry [5] - EA's annual revenues have been relatively stagnant over the last three years after COVID lockdowns [5] - EA's stock is up 56% in the last 5 years, lagging behind the S&P, which is up about 100% in the same period [5] - Electronic Arts will be taking on about $20 billion in debt to finance its part of the deal [6] Potential Beneficiaries - Take 2 and AppLovin (App) are mentioned as potential beneficiaries of the consolidation trend in the video game space [7] - Roblox is experiencing significant user and revenue growth [7][8]