Electronic Arts is now a private company. The acquisition by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners officially closed today, ending nearly a year of speculation and coverage about the future of EA's franchises, including The Sims.
EA stockholders received $210 in cash per share, and the company's common stock has been delisted from NASDAQ.
Who owns EA now
According to a Washington Post report from December 2025, PIF holds 93.4% of EA, with Silver Lake at 5.5% and Affinity Partners at 1.1%. PIF is the sovereign wealth fund controlled by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Andrew Wilson remains as Chairman and CEO. In his internal message to employees, Wilson announced that Cam Weber will serve as President and Chief Studios Officer, and David Tinson as President and Chief Operating Officer going forward.
What the new owners said
The official press release features predictable corporate optimism but a few notable signals. Turqi Alnowaiser, PIF's Deputy Governor, described entertainment and sports as "key areas of strategic focus" and emphasized long-term investment. Egon Durban of Silver Lake specifically mentioned investing in "what AI can do to enhance game development and player experience." Kushner's statement focused on reaching "new audiences" and expanding "the ways people around the world connect through play."
Wilson's statement to employees leaned heavily on creativity and innovation language but offered no concrete operational changes, restructuring plans, or franchise-specific roadmaps.
What this means for The Sims (for now)
The press release does not mention The Sims, Maxis, or any individual studio or franchise by name. That is typical for a corporate closing announcement, but it leaves Sims players without clear answers about what changes, if any, to expect for The Sims 4 or future projects.
Sims Community has published a detailed Fact vs. Fiction article addressing common questions about how the acquisition may affect The Sims franchise. For now, no changes to active Sims 4 development, pricing, or content delivery have been announced.
The transition from public to private ownership removes quarterly earnings pressure, which could in theory give studios more room to develop without short-term revenue targets. Whether that translates into anything players notice remains to be seen.