It is the biggest leveraged buyout in history.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) just bought EA Games: one of the world’s biggest video game companies.
PIF joined forces with two American investment firms (one run by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner) to buy the gaming giant for $55 billion.
But this could be about a lot more than just video games.
EA has more than 700 million players worldwide, and it’s collecting vast amounts of data on them.
What are the national security and privacy implications of a foreign sovereign wealth fund controlling a company with all that data?
And given EA has a Canadian subsidiary with Canadian employees and, of course, Canadian players — how has the Canadian government scrutinized this deal?
Host: Gemma Boothroyd
Credits: Gemma Boothroyd (Reporter), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Chad Galloway (Audio Editing & Production), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)
Fact checking by Julian Abraham
Additional music by Audio Network
Image by Saudi Press Agency
More information:
Saudi-led group completes $55bn purchase of gaming giant EA - BBC
Executions in Saudi Arabia hit highest number on record in 2025 - The Guardian
The CFIUS Review That Will Never Be - Vinita Singh for Lawfare
Canada strengthens guidelines on foreign investments in the interactive digital media sector
National security decisions | Investment Canada Act
The Gaming Industry: A Behemoth With Unprecedented Global Reach
Saudis Weigh Merging EA With Savvy to Create Global Gaming Giant
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