About a week on from getting the thumbs up from the European Commission, the $55 billion leveraged buyout which will see Saudi Arabia, Silver Lake and Jared Kushner-founded investment firm Affinity Partners become the new owners of EA and take it private is expected to close next week, the company have announced.

As of July 30th, 2026, all regulatory approvals required to complete the merger have been obtained,” EA wrote in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. “Electronic Arts currently expects the merger to close on or about the close of trading on August 4th, 2026. Completion of the merger remains subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the remaining customary closing conditions set forth in the merger agreement.”

So, pretty much a done deal pending any unforeseen hiccups or issues right at the last minute. Lavishly compensated EA CEO Andrew Wilson is expected to stay in charge once the deal goes through, but the key question is what it’ll mean for the workers around the world who make the games which contribute to the massive amounts of cash shovelled into Wilson’s pockets on a yearly basis.

“Every time private equity or billionaire investors take a studio private, workers lose visibility, transparency, and power,” the United Videogame Workers-CWA union said in a statement on the deal in October last year. “Decisions that shape our jobs, our art, and our futures are made behind closed doors by executives who have never written a line of code, built worlds, or supported live services. We are calling on regulators and elected officials to scrutinize this deal and ensure that any path forward protects jobs, preserves creative freedom, and keeps decision-making accountable to the workers who make EA successful.”

Earlier this year, 46 US lawmakers signed a letter to the Federal Trade Commission expressing similar concerns. Developers on series like The Sims have said they’d fight any orders from on high to reduce diversity in EA games that might arrive in the wake of the deal, given the Saudi Arabian state’s attitude towards and treatement of LGBT people.

The country’s ruling regime have a terrible human rights record which Amnesty International cite as including “arbitrary” detention and execution of people simply expressing their opinions, abuse of migrant workers, and discrimination against women. They’re also believed by the CIA to have been responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.