Electronic Arts: Breaking down the $55 billion deal that takes the company private

Deal Overview - Electronic Arts (EA) is potentially going private in a $55 billion deal involving Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners [1][15] - The deal offers approximately a 20-25% premium relative to EA's previous market trading price, considered a fair but not cheap valuation [7][15][18] - The deal's timing is questioned, coinciding with the upcoming Battlefield 6 release, which could influence the premium demanded [11][12] Strategic Rationale & Concerns - Analysts express uncertainty about the strategic rationale, as EA was not perceived as mismanaged or lacking catalysts for growth [2][6] - Saudi Arabia's PIF aims to expand its portfolio and has a long-term vision for connected TV games and mobile gaming [19] - EA's struggles in mobile gaming are highlighted, with suggestions that PIF's existing mobile gaming companies (Niantic, Scopley) could improve EA's mobile strategy [19][20] - The potential for a low single-digit Internal Rate of Return (IRR) raises concerns about the financial merits of the deal [5] Industry Trends & Consolidation - The video game industry is experiencing consolidation, leaving only Take-Two as a major independent publicly traded publisher in the US [25] - Investors are perceived to have lost faith in the gaming space, overlooking growth in mobile and the potential of connected TV [26] - Connected TV is seen as the future of gaming, with cloud providers and AI companies positioned to deliver games like movies via streaming services [31] Investment Opportunities - Take-Two and Roblox are highlighted as potential investment opportunities, with Grand Theft Auto 6's release anticipated to be a major event [28][29] - Playika is mentioned as a potentially undervalued mobile gaming company with a high dividend yield [31][32][33]