The consortium of buyers includes the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners — Kushner being Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

EA has been a household name in gaming for over 40 years. It is known for producing and publishing games such as EA FC (formerly FIFA), The Sims, Mass Effect, and Battlefield 6.

EA’s football game series alone has sold 325 million copies since its first release in 1993. The Sims, where players build their own virtual worlds, has sold over 200 million copies, while Need For Speed has sold over 150 million copies.

According to the BBC, this is the largest leveraged buyout in history, with a significant portion of the purchase being financed through debt. Specifically, the companies acquiring EA will contribute about $36 billion themselves, with the remainder financed through loans.

The agreement will turn EA into a private company, meaning all its shares will be purchased and it will no longer trade on the stock market.

The purchase price adds roughly 25% to EA’s market value, valuing it at $210 per share.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson, who will remain in his role, called the deal a “strong recognition” of the company’s work.

An industry expert told the BBC that while EA was open to a potential buyer who could help the company advance, the buyout by private equity was unexpected. They also noted industry concerns about the deal and the $20 billion in debt it would bring, which would need to be repaid.