Video-gaming giant Electronic Arts’ (EA) year just got even better.
Shares of the video-gaming juggernaut have quietly outperformed into fall, up nearly 32% year-to-date, 33% over six months, and a superb 12% in the past month alone, before Friday’s fireworks.
For those unfamiliar, EA makes and publishes some of the biggest entertainment franchises. Founded in 1982, the Redwood City–based publisher is behind:
- EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA)
- Madden NFL
- Apex Legends
- Battlefield
- The Sims, Star Wars Jedi, and more.
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Its popular soccer/football series alone has sold north of 325 million copies over its lifetime, making it the company’s crown jewel. The “FIFA” name ended after EA and FIFA parted ways in 2022; from 2023 onward, the series is known as EA Sports FC.
Speaking of which, just a few days ago, EA Sports FC 26 hit consoles and PC, with early access on September 19, and a full launch on September 26. Early reviews have landed around the 80 mark on Metacritic, with outlets praising on-pitch gameplay and noting live-service gripes.
Financially, EA entered FY26 with healthy trends.
EA has surpassed revenue estimates in four of the past five quarters, while beating earnings estimates in three.
Its Q1 FY26 results showed a superb $1.671 billion revenue haul, with the ‘F1’ game, Apex Legends, driving bookings to $1.30 billion, beating estimates by $70 million.
Now, the newest development might be EA’s biggest yet, involving buyout chatter that’s swirling around, sending its stock up about 15% on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025.
The details remain thin, but the timing, just days after FC 26’s arrival, has Wall Street leaning in a big way.
Electronic Arts
EA’s $50 billion buyout chatter collides with FC 26 launch
Electronic Arts is reportedly closing in on a nearly $50 billion leveraged buyout (LBO), a move landing just days after its flagship soccer title, EA Sports FC 26, hit the shelves.
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Reports say Silver Lake is spearheading the group, which includes Saudi Arabia’s PIF and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, making it the largest LBO on record if finalized. Timing chatter suggests the announcement will come next week, with banks lining up multibillion-dollar debt to fund the deal.
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For investors, the coincidence matters as FC 26’s early momentum offers fresh telemetry on bookings and engagement.
Reported deal points (subject to change):
- Valuation: $50 billion enterprise value; could top TXU’s 2007 record.
- Consortium: Silver Lake + PIF + Affinity Partners (Kushner) are in discussions for the takeover.
- Financing: JPMorgan arranged >$20 billion in debt; remaining equity from sponsors/rollover.
- Structure: Go-private LBO.
Leveraged buyouts explained: what they mean for investors
A leveraged buyout is when buyers purchase a company primarily through borrowed money, using future cash flows and assets as collateral.
Think of it as scooping up a house with a small down payment and a big mortgage; the home’s value and your paycheck support the loan. In LBOs, sponsors want to boost cash flow, pay down debt, and later exit at a profit.
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Shareholders usually get a cash premium near the offer price (but are at risk if a deal breaks).
The company often delists, running leaner to service debt, potentially selling non-core assets. Moreover, deal news for the market can efficiently lift peers on read-through, making deal-trading more volatile, while leading banks to sell risky debt to pay for the buyout.
Here are five of the biggest LBOs so far on record:
- TXU (Energy Future Holdings), 2007: $45 billion (currently the largest classic LBO).
- HCA Healthcare, 2006: $33 billion.
- RJR Nabisco, 1989: $25.1 billion equity ($31 billion including debt).
- First Data, 2007: $29 billion.
- Heinz, 2013: $28 billion.
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