Electronic Arts will become a private company on August 4, 2026. A SEC filing dated today (July 30) confirms that all regulatory approvals required to complete the merger have been obtained, and EA expects the deal to close at the end of trading next Monday.
The Sims franchise, along with every other EA intellectual property, will shift from public to private ownership under a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The ownership breakdown
According to a November 2025 filing with Brazil's antitrust regulator, reported by The Wall Street Journal, PIF will hold 93.4% of EA after closing. Silver Lake takes a 5.5% stake, and Jared Kushner's Affinity Group holds the remaining 1.1%. The $55 billion price tag makes this the largest private equity buyout in history, and PIF is on the hook for nearly all of it.
Final regulatory hurdle cleared
The last major obstacle fell on July 23, when the European Commission gave unconditional approval under the EU Merger Regulation (case M.12213). The Commission concluded the transaction "would not raise competition concerns, given its limited impact on competition in the markets where the companies are active." With that decision, plus earlier clearances from other jurisdictions, the SEC filing states only "remaining customary closing conditions" stand between now and a completed deal.
What this means for The Sims
Going private removes EA from quarterly earnings pressure and public stock market scrutiny. In theory, that could give studios more room for long-term projects without investor expectations driving release cadences. On the other hand, private ownership concentrates decision-making power in fewer hands, and PIF's near-total stake means one sovereign wealth fund now controls the strategic direction of franchises like The Sims, FIFA (EA Sports FC), Battlefield, and Apex Legends.
For Sims players specifically, there is no indication yet that day-to-day development changes. The Sims 4 continues receiving updates, with a new August sale running through August 13. Any shifts in franchise strategy, whether that involves The Sims 5 (Project Rene) or the current game's support cadence, would likely take months to materialize after ownership formally transfers.
What is certain: as of next Monday, the company behind The Sims is no longer publicly traded, and a Saudi-backed consortium holds the keys.
Source: Sims Community via Google News - The Sims