On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti What happens when private equity becomes video gaming's 'final boss'
Oct 29, 2025
Kyle Orland, a senior gaming editor at Ars Technica, discusses EA’s evolution from a developer-centric studio to a gaming giant monetizing through franchises and microtransactions. David Cole, CEO of DFC Intelligence, explores the implications of Saudi PIF and others' investments, raising concerns about cultural influence in gaming. Joshua Rivera, a culture writer, reflects on how this buyout could shift game content and gamer trust, linking it to broader trends in the industry that favor free-to-play models over traditional titles.
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Massive All-Cash Buyout Of EA
- Three private equity firms (Silver Lake, Saudi PIF, Affinity) are buying EA in a $55B all-cash deal.
- The transaction is the largest leveraged buyout in U.S. history and puts a major games company into private hands.
EA's NASDAQ Moment And Growth
- Meghna recounts EA ringing the NASDAQ bell in 2011 to launch Star Wars: The Old Republic and celebrate its rebranding to EA.
- She contrasts EA's $20.57 share price then with roughly $200 in 2025 to show its growth trajectory.
From Designer-Forward To Franchise Machine
- Kyle Orland describes EA's early identity as designer-forward and its later pivot to reliable franchise releases.
- Annualized sports titles like Madden became steady revenue engines that shaped EA's business model.