Electronic Arts' record $55bn (£40.6bn) Saudi‑led buyout has saddled the FIFA and Battlefield publisher with about $18bn (£13.3bn) in new debt, a load that will shape how its biggest games are funded and developed for years. Lender documentation and subsequent reporting suggest that borrowing will generate around $1.8bn (£1.33bn) in annual interest payments, adding a fixed cost to EA's business.
The deal, confirmed in EA's own announcement and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) newswire, sees the Battlefield and EA Sports FC maker taken private in an all‑cash transaction funded by about $36bn (£26.6bn) in equity and roughly $20bn (£14.8bn) in committed debt financing from JPMorgan.
