Battlefield, The Sims, and FIFA developer Electronic Arts (EA) has recently been purchased in a collaborative acquisition. CEO Andrew Wilson publicly shared the news on the studio’s website on Sept. 29th. The past few days have identified the participating parties. The top three contributors were Saudi Arabia’s Public Installment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and, most shockingly, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
When these names were revealed, many gamers became anxious about upcoming game releases, including the anticipated Battlefield 6. The “Challenge Everything” company was sold for $55 billion USD. Representatives later shared why the now-privately owned studio carried an expensive price.
Andrew Wilson’s Value to Digital Entertainment
When the COVID-19 Pandemic arrived in 2020, digital entertainment gained a massive market share. The world was ordered to stay home and sought comfort from streaming content and video games. EA managed to recover from its 2011 annual revenue of $3.86 billion USD. By 2021, the studio earned $5.62 billion USD, according to Macro Trends.
Bloomberg interviewed Andrew Wilson for insights into the gaming industry’s new path to success. Wondering if EA and their competitors will keep pace with popular demands. The CEO excitedly answered, “Yes. We are projecting the industry’s natural growth as more people use games for socializing. They are making connections through the content we made.”
Wilson further explained that their quarterly earnings were all thanks to their successful partnerships, with entities like Formula One developer Codemasters. He also believes that gaming technology is merging into digital media. EA has mastered collaborating with entertainment companies to provide interactive experiences, mainly with the competitive sports and RPG genres. The studio ended the third quarter of 2025 with over $7.4 billion USD in revenue.
EA Wants to Implement Generative AI
In 2023, the world began to experiment with generative AI programs. Wilson witnessed the technology’s capabilities and decided to have the company further research its usage. The Madden NFL developer assembled their AI researcher team, the Search for Extraordinary Experiences Division (SEED for EA). Their affected departments (art, programming, directing/writing) soon worried about their jobs being cut.
SEED informed that their mission is to adapt the technology to catch up with consumer demand. The representatives said, “As modern games grow in size and complexity, so too do the demands on the Quality Assurance teams. It can be difficult due to the sheer volume of work to test a AAA modern game.
SEED helps calculate the duration of development and the number of functions needed for testing. Not all game testing is done manually, of course. Automated AI agents have tested our products for years, and scripted bots assist in programming to detect errors. That’s why we’ve been researching to make the process more adaptable, effective, and resilient.”
Employees’ fears later came to fruition on February 28, 2024. CNBC reported that the studio cut 670 staff members. Wilson responded that this action was necessary to optimize their global real estate footprint. This means they want to reserve land for their AI data centers.
The CEO further expanded on this thought on Sept. 18th. Wilson told the public, “Efficiency is what we do today faster and cheaper while maintaining high quality. [Generative AI] helps remove those obstacles for our game developers. We believe it will greatly expand and revolutionize the entertainment experience for user-generated content.”
Why Gamers Worry About the $55 Billion Purchase
In EA’s Sept. 29th newsletter, Wilson announced that PIF, Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners purchased the game company for $55 billion USD. His recent business decisions have increased shareholder earnings to $210 per share. While it appears to be a financial win, gamers worry that these three investors will cause the developer’s downfall.
First, Saudi Arabia’s PIF, are one of the world’s leading sports investors. Over time, the nation has been repeatedly denied the act of sportswashing. According to BBC, the government will host sporting events to maintain a good public image while continuing to commit human rights abuses.
Saudi Arabia has been expanding their focus on game developer stake acquisitions in the past two years. Two of their largest purchases are Pokémon GO’s Niantic and Monopoly GO’s Scopely. PIF even made history by hosting the first eSports World Cup alongside the 2024 Paris Olympics. Now, with the leading sports game producer aboard, the nation has gained more influence in the video game industry.
Following behind is Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners. His investment firm has been funding the Trump Administration’s joint ventures since 2021. The company first began with the Mosaic, a Christian megachurch located in California. Then, Kushner expanded their operations in Brazil and Germany. As advisors to the Middle East peace process, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Serbia, and Albania have invested heavily in their national projects.
Many gamers fear that the current political stance of the United States will cause censorship within EA’s intellectual properties. For example, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and The Sims are three franchises that include LGBT+ representation. President Trump has enacted multiple policies to discourage the identified individuals and erase the community’s US history since returning to office in January.
Finally, there’s the global technology leading Silver Lake. Egon Durban’s firm has supported 70 joint ventures, branching from entertainment to software development. Thanks to SEED’s contributions to generative AI research, the $55 billion USD investment became Silver Lake’s best opportunity to gain equity.
The firm shares an interest in technology development surrounding Web-3 applications, through their AI data centers, and financial technology. However, their have been reports that Durban’s leadership has not always ensured success for their partners. Financial Times traced Silver Lake’s investment troubles between 2018-2024. These years produced the least amount of profitable returns before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Fate of The Sims Studio Remains Uncertain
With the deal finalized, PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners now own a part of the “Challenge Everything” company. Bloomberg has confirmed that the studio will be a private company moving forward. The news caused concern among Battlefield fans as the 6th installment’s development is nearly complete. The Titanfall community previously expressed their frustration and heartbreak when staff retaliated to its production were among the 300-400 workforce layoffs announced this past May.
Spectators believe it’s tied to Kushner’s mission to have the above mentioned Middle East countries settle their conflicts. But the answer isn’t simple with Silver Lake and Saudi Arabia’s involvement. 2025 has proven to be a gold mine for businesses if they establish one or more AI data centers ass part of their real estate portfolio Their servers require copious amounts of natural resources to meet it’s demands.
Right now, the most valuable resource is water to keep them cool. Texas data centers have proven that they can absorb 463 million gallons within two years. This matches Kushner’s discussion on The Guardian in 2024. One of his goals is to have Saudi Arabia and Israel find common ground for the US to safely access the Gaza Strip. He explained, “Gaza’s waterfront property could be very valuable [if these two countries] focus on building their livelihood.”
For Wilson, the EA investment can help cover the electricity cost. Depending on the size of the facility, AI data centers can run up to 300 megawatts at a cost of $12 million USD per unit. CapitaLand Investment CEO Kishore Moorjani talked about how this strategy would strain banks. “Banks are certainly challenged by these facilities’ exposure,” he told CNBC, “given the sheer volume and quantum of the build is what it costs to put that capacity into place.” Until then, gamers will continue to monitor EA in the coming days.
