Reports have emerged that EA is in negotiations for a potential buyout valued at 50 billion USD (approximately 70 trillion KRW). While EA has been the subject of persistent acquisition rumors for years, the scale of this potential deal is unprecedented.

The news broke on the 26th via the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). According to the report, the interested parties include major US private equity firm Silver Lake and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF). Should this deal cross the finish line, it would become the largest leveraged buyout (LBO) in history. The WSJ noted that this figure eclipses the 2007 record, where a group of private equity firms acquired the Texas power company TXU for 32 billion USD.

At the heart of the negotiation is the PIF, the massive sovereign wealth fund controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Since 2016, the Crown Prince has been spearheading his 'Vision 2030' economic reform—an ambitious plan to pivot away from oil dependency—and as part of this, he has been pouring significant capital into the gaming sector for several years.

The PIF already holds stakes in various global gaming giants, including Activision Blizzard, Nintendo, Capcom, and Nexon, and is known to own 100% of SNK. It is widely interpreted that a potential EA acquisition would be a continuation of this aggressive expansion.

EA and the investors involved have yet to issue an official statement. Some industry observers suggest that if the deal goes through and EA goes private, the company could escape the pressure of short-term quarterly results, potentially allowing them more room to focus on long-term strategy and new IP development. There is significant interest in EA's future moves.