In what may be the largest leveraged buyout on record, the publicly traded video game publisher Electronic Arts, Inc. has agreed to go private after being purchased by a consortium of investors comprising private equity giant Silver Lake, Jared Kushner 's Affinity Partners, and the Saudi Public Investment Firm, or PIF. The cash buyout, totalling $55 billion, is a staggering sum, even in the supercharged world of private equity, where billions are regarded as mere Monopoly money. The deal is certain to change the landscape of the video game industry, which generated an estimated $187 billion in revenue last year.

But why would Kushner and Saudi investors—who share a considerable stake in Affinity Partners , in addition to direct involvement in this deal via the PIF—be interested in E

See Full Page