The company has been bought by Saudi Arabia\u2019s PIF along with Affinity Partners, a private equity company run by Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law Jared Kushner<\/a> and the private equity firm Silver Lake Partners.<\/p>\n \u201cEA has created stories, characters, and communities that have become part of everyday life for hundreds of millions of people,\u201d Kushner said. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to support the company as it continues to reach new audiences, inspire the next generation of creators, and expand the ways people around the world connect through play.\u201d<\/p>\n The Saudi royal family has been investing in video games and esports for some time, alongside sports, media and comedy<\/a>, while the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman<\/a>, has a reputation for being a gamer.<\/p>\n EA was founded by the former Apple employee William \u201cTrip\u201d Hawkins in 1982. Hawkins began playing analog versions of baseball and football made by Strat-O-Matic as a teenager during the 1960s. The company has been run by its current chief executive, Andrew Wilson, since 2013.<\/p>\n EA\u2019s games still have a dedicated fanbase, although its annual revenues have stagnated in recent years, hovering between $7.4bn and $7.6bn.<\/p>\n Competition from mobile video game makers, such as Epic Games, has intensified in recent years, and one of EA\u2019s biggest rivals, Activision Blizzard, was bought by Microsoft for almost $69bn<\/a> in 2023.<\/p>\n As a private company, EA will no longer be required to report its financial results each quarter, freeing it from some scrutiny, which some analysts say can remove some pressure to meet targets.<\/p>\n
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