Fifa was updated annually from 1993 to 2023, before EA lost the licence following a financial disagreement between it and the Fifa organication.
The game, now called EA Sports FC, has largely retained its player base, becoming the best-selling game in Western Europe in 2023, the year the first renamed edition launched.
The publisher’s The Sims franchise allows players to create an avatar and develop characters and a city in a virtual world.
Twenty-five years after its launch, The Sims continues to attract new fans. In May 2024, EA revealed that 85 million people were playing the latest version, The Sims 4.
The California-based company is also counting on the release of the new version of its first-person shooter game Battlefield, called Battlefield 6, which will be its 13th installment in the series.
After seeing its revenue soar in the years following the Covid-19 pandemic, the company founded by former Apple employee Trip Hawkins in 1982 has experienced a slowdown, in line with the sector as a whole.
This major new deal in the video game world comes two years after Microsoft’s US$75b acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which also left the stock market.
On Wall Street, the shares of the remaining listed gamers were up on Monday (UST). Roblox rose 4.72%, while Take-Two Interactive gained 1.53%.
The acquisition is expected to close in early fiscal 2027 and requires approval from EA shareholders and regulatory authorities.
Saudi deals
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which already holds a 9.9% stake in EA, will roll over its existing investment as part of the transaction.
This announcement follows a tour of the Gulf region in May by Trump, the US President, which was marked by promises of huge investments.
Trump signed a “strategic economic partnership” agreement with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto leader, which, according to the White House, will see Riyadh invest US$600b in the United States.
Video games are at the heart of the Crown Prince’s ambitious “Vision 2030” reform plan.
The oil-rich monarchy is passionate about gaming and eSports: 70% of Saudis are under 35, and Mohammed bin Salman, aged 40, is himself known to be a fan of the game Call of Duty.
The deal will be financed through approximately US$36b in equity from the consortium members and US$20b in debt committed by JPMorgan Chase. Upon completion, EA will be delisted from the Nasdaq stock exchange and remain headquartered in Redwood City, California, under Wilson’s continued leadership.
The agreement marks the PIF’s latest major investment in the gaming sector as Saudi Arabia seeks to diversify its economy beyond oil revenues.
– Agence France-Presse
