Video game maker electronic arts draws $ 55 billion to go

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Maker Games Maker is captured by a consortium supported by Jared Kushner and Silver Lake in a $ 55 billion deal that ranks first as the largest acquisition ever.

Agreement values EA“$ 210 dollars each, according to a statement on Monday, in what the Union said was a 25 percent installment to the closing price on Thursday in New York, before speculation of the agreement to pay the shares to the top.

The deal is the largest special transaction in history, as the dollar tops the purchase of $ 45 billion for the TXU TXU group in Texas in 2007. It also ranks first as the largest deal of two years until now.

Kushner, who said he “grew up playing his matches”: “Arts Electronic Arts is an unusual company with a global management team and a bold vision for the future.”

EA, which is based in Redwood City, California, is among the richest content libraries for any video maker, with great privileges including EA SPORTS FCand Madden NFL and Sims.

Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA will be kept long, will be kept by the buyer group, as he led the game developer as a private company after the acquisition was closed in the first half of 2027.

The acquisition financing will come from $ 36 billion from the shares that the buyer’s group contributed, including PIF’s pass to the current share of 9.9 percent in EA and a $ 20 billion loan led by JPMorgan.

This deal is a major bet that artificial intelligence can significantly reduce the operating costs of EA, allowing the shares union to manage a large debt burden on a company historically with a limited clear debt.

Artificial intelligence is already used widely across the silicon Valley to accelerate many types of computer programming. In the development of games, it can be used to replace the vocal actors and create backgrounds and other assets, as well as automate the game test to avoid errors before the release.

But some believe that technology may soon be able to move forward in creating more realistic and response characters, or adapting stories to the personal preferences of the players.

Persons participating in the Financial Times said that investors are betting that artificial intelligence cost discounts will greatly enhance EA’s profits in the coming years.

Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son -in -law, played a key role in obtaining the deal on the line. He and Egon Durban, President of Silver Lake, began studying a possible acquisition earlier this year, according to two people who were briefed on the talks.

People said that Kushner was a key to obtaining the General Investment Fund in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia interested in participating in the acquisition at a time when some private investments are cleared.

He created Affinity Partners for Affinity after leaving the White House after Trump’s first period, and PIF is a large investor in the Kushner box.

People close to discussions said that Kushner’s participation will reduce the course of the deal through the Foreign Investment Committee in the United States, which constitute deals that include foreign buyers.

PIF has bold plans to spread up to $ 70 billion in capital annually, which was created from oil wealth in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in sectors such as technology and real estate.

It was already classified among the largest general shareholders in EA, and also possessed the risks in Nintendo and Take-Towo Interactive.