EU Commission approves $55bn EA buyout, says it "would not raise competition concerns"

The European Commission has approved the proposed $55 billion acquisition of publisher Electronic Arts (EA), concluding that the transaction complies with EU merger regulations and does not pose antitrust risks.

According to reporting by Rock Paper Shotgun, the regulatory body stated, "The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of Electronic Arts Inc. of the US by the Public Investment Fund (‘PIF') of Saudi Arabia."

Ownership Group and Financial Scope

The buyout group is led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and includes private equity firm Silver Lake alongside Affinity Partners, an investment firm founded by Jared Kushner, as reported by Rock Paper Shotgun. The transaction gives PIF sole control of the US gaming giant in a deal valued at $55 billion.

Regulatory Findings on Competition

The review was conducted under the EU's standard merger review procedure, which evaluates whether proposed consolidations would significantly impede market competition.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the European Commission explained its baseline evaluation process: "In assessing proposed mergers, the Commission considers whether they can be expected to significantly impede effective competition in the EU."

Following its evaluation, the regulator cleared the deal without conditions. "The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given its limited impact on competition in the markets where the companies are active," the European Commission stated in findings cited by both GamesIndustry.biz and Rock Paper Shotgun.

Additional regulatory reviews in other global jurisdictions, as well as timeline details regarding the final closing of the acquisition, have not yet been specified.

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• GamesIndustry.biz
• MMORPG.com
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