Search & fact check with cited sources for What are the key details, regulatory status, and timeline of the Saudi PIF led consortium's $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts, including the European Commission's antitrust approval, the pending Foreign Subsidies Regulation revi

Here is a comprehensive, source-backed summary of the Saudi PIF-led consortium’s acquisition of Electronic Arts, based on the latest available information as of July 24, 2026.

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Deal Structure & Consortium

• Announcement date: September 29, 2025, when the consortium announced a leveraged buyout to take EA private .
• Consortium: Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF, ~$1 trillion AUM), private equity firm Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners .
• Price: $210 per share in cash, valuing the total transaction at approximately $55 billion .
• Ownership stakes: PIF is expected to own "almost all" of EA after the buyout, with Silver Lake and Affinity Partners as minority co-investors . The exact percentage splits have not been publicly finalized, but PIF is the controlling lead.

Shareholder & US Regulatory Approvals

• Shareholder approval: EA shareholders voted to approve the $210-per-share sale on December 22, 2025 .

EU Antitrust (Merger) Approval — ✅ Obtained

• On July 23, 2026, the European Commission unconditionally cleared the deal under the EU Merger Regulation, concluding that the acquisition "would not raise competition concerns" since it primarily involves video game content production and distribution .
• The preliminary review deadline for the merger clearance had been set to July 22, 2026 . The Commission issued its clearance one day later.

EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) Review — Decision Pending

• On June 24, 2026, the consortium filed for approval under the EU's Foreign Subsidies Regulation, which targets potentially distortive subsidies from non-EU governments .
• The European Commission set a provisional deadline of July 30, 2026, to decide on the subsidy component .
• On July 17, 2026, Reuters reported that the PIF-led group was "set to secure" EU approval under the FSR rules, with clearance expected after the preliminary review ends on July 30 .
• Status as of July 24, 2026: The FSR decision has not yet been formally announced. The July 30 deadline is still active.

Anticipated Closing Timeline

The transaction timeline as currently understood:

Milestone	Date
Deal announced	September 29, 2025
Shareholder vote approved	December 22, 2025
EU merger (antitrust) clearance	July 23, 2026
FSR review deadline	July 30, 2026
Possible closing period	Expected to commence shortly after the FSR deadline, with sources indicating clearance is likely

The consortium is expected to proceed with closing immediately after the FSR process concludes on or around July 30, assuming the anticipated clearance materializes. No further major regulatory hurdles have been publicly identified in other jurisdictions.