Economy · From the edition of Jul 20, 2026
✳ Dated TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2026 ✳
EA TAKEN PRIVATE IN RECORD DEAL
the biggest buyout gaming has ever seen closes ahead of schedule, sweeping the publisher off the public market
NEW YORK, September 1 — Electronic Arts is a private company, its record take-private buyout closed before September — an outcome traders priced at 84 per cent. The maker of "Madden" and "The Sims" exits the public market it has ridden for decades.
The deal is the fattest leveraged buyout gaming has ever booked. Odds jumped from 38 to 84 in a single session, and the wires stopped asking whether it would close and started asking how fast.
Shareholders cash out; the new owners inherit the debt and the franchises. Observers see a studio freed from quarterly theater — and a warning to every publisher still trading in the open.
Source: Kalshi · 84% probability — View market ↗