Electronic Arts is a private company under a PIF-led consortium following the August 4, 2026 close of its $55 billion take-private deal. CEO Andrew Wilson remains in charge while carrying $18 billion in debt and planned annual cost cuts.
Electronic Arts closed its $55 billion acquisition by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners on August 4, 2026. The deal ends the company's time on the NASDAQ, with shareholders receiving $210 per share, and leaves EA private with $18 billion in debt and roughly $1.8 billion in annual interest payments. Andrew Wilson stays on as chairman and CEO. Days earlier, an amended Form 10-K disclosed his fiscal year 2026 pay at about $38.6 million, a 26% increase, with a $6.5 million bonus tied to the performance of Battlefield 6 and skate. Layoffs had already hit Full Circle in February and Criterion, DICE, Ripple Effect, and Motive in March. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reported EA plans up to $700 million in yearly cost cuts, including $170 million from organizational efficiencies.
The tentpole releases around that transition keep arriving. Star Wars Zero Company, a turn-based strategy title from Bit Reactor with Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games, launches August 27, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and previews confirm Anakin Skywalker is playable. Battlefield 6 continues its seasonal run: the Top Gun collaboration that Season 4 "Naval" set up in July launched August 18 as Season 4 Phase 2 with the Carrier Strike mode and characters Rooster, Bob, and Warlock voiced by their film actors. EA Sports FC 27 arrives September 25 with The Grounds social hub and Alex Hunter returning as a mentor, and Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition launched on Apple Arcade on August 6 with no ads or in-app purchases.
Apex Legends remains the live-service anchor. Season 30 "Marked" launched August 5 with a Bloodhound rework and an overhauled night version of World's Edge. EA is also retiring Easy Anti Cheat on the PC version of Apex Legends on September 29 and replacing it with its in-house EA Javelin Anticheat, which the company says blocked 26.7 million cheats in the past year. EA Javelin is also being built with native support for the Arm-based RTX Spark chips, announced at Gamescom 2026 alongside EA titles for the platform. Marvel's Iron Man, announced in 2022 and still without a date or platforms, broke its account silence on August 19 to address leaked footage.
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Electronic Arts said the EA Javelin Anticheat system introduced in Apex Legends on September 29 blocked 265,550 cheats and suspended 12,969 accounts in its first week. The company attributed the gap between the two figures to cheats being stopped before they affect play. It also reported 40 cheat programs tracked and 91 percent of them blocked, plus hardware bans including 4,058 for Aimzenix.
Electronic Arts will retire Easy Anti Cheat on the PC version of Apex Legends on September 29 and replace it with EA Javelin Anticheat, the in-house system EA introduced in 2022 under the name EA anticheat and renamed in April 2025. EA says the tool has a 99% detection rate, blocked 26.7 million cheats in the past year, and is used in Battlefield 6. PC players migrate automatically at launch, and the Secure Boot requirement common to the system in other titles does not apply here.
The official X account for Marvel's Iron Man, the Electronic Arts action-adventure game, made its first post on August 19, responding to leaked development footage with the line 'It didn't go as planned.' The account, created in June 2023 and confirmed as genuine, says there is still much to show when ready. Platforms and release date remain unannounced.
NVIDIA announced new RTX Spark support at Gamescom 2026. Electronic Arts, Embark Studios, and Ubisoft will provide titles including EA SPORTS F1 25, Apex Legends, Anno 117: Pax Romana, ARC Raiders, and THE FINALS. EA Javelin Anticheat is being built with native support for the Arm-based SoC. NVIDIA also released DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction.
Electronic Arts revealed a new trailer for the Battlefield 6 and Top Gun collaboration, launching August 18 as Season 4 Phase 2. It adds the Top Gun: Carrier Strike mode, characters Rooster, Bob, and Warlock voiced by their film actors, plus cosmetics and an event currency. Battlefield REDSEC gets a Fighter Sweep mission.
Electronic Arts will release Star Wars Zero Company on August 27, 2026, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The turn-based strategy game is set at the end of the Clone Wars, between Episode II and Episode III. Players command Hawks, a former Republic army officer, leading a mercenary unit called Zero Company that includes former Separatists, former Republic soldiers, nobles, and former convicts. The unit hunts a paramilitary cult called the Infinite Coil, led by Kundrii Fathom, who infects followers with a disease called the Shadow Plague. Development is led by Greg Foertsch at Bit Reactor, a studio with former Firaxis staff who worked on XCOM. Battle systems include cover, elevation, overwatch, and a permadeath option that is enabled by default and cannot be changed after starting the game. Anakin Skywalker appears as a playable character in an early mission, and the preview describes him as overwhelmingly powerful, able to use the Force to knock enemies off ledges. The base of operations is the Den, a decommissioned cargo ship docked at the Ring of Kafrene from Rogue One. Music is composed by Gordy Haab, who won a Grammy for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Electronic Arts released Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition on Apple Arcade on August 6. The game is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV with no ads or in-app purchases. It features the Ignite engine and includes franchise and quick play modes. Retro Bowl College+ also launched on the service the same day.
Electronic Arts completed its acquisition by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners on August 4. The deal leaves EA with $18 billion in debt and roughly $1.8 billion in annual interest payments. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reports the company plans up to $700 million in yearly cost cuts, including $170 million from organizational efficiencies, which he says points to large-scale layoffs.
Electronic Arts announced EA SPORTS FC 27, launching worldwide on September 25, 2026, with early access for pre-orders of Ultimate editions starting September 18. The game introduces The Grounds, a social hub and street soccer mode, and brings back Alex Hunter as a mentor. Kylian Mbappe is the cover athlete.
Electronic Arts announced on August 4 that its acquisition by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), along with Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, has been officially completed. The deal, first agreed upon on September 29, 2025, received shareholder approval at an extraordinary general meeting on December 22 of that year. With the transaction closed, EA shareholders will receive $210 in cash per share of common stock, and the company's shares will cease trading on the NASDAQ, making EA a privately held company. The consortium's funding includes approximately $36 billion in equity contributions and about $20 billion in loans from banks including JPMorgan Chase. Andrew Wilson will remain chairman and CEO, with the company headquartered in Redwood City, California. In a statement, Wilson said the partners share the company's vision and ambition, and that together they will make bold investments and build next-generation games for hundreds of millions of players. PIF Vice President Turki Alnowaiser noted PIF has been a minority shareholder in EA for over five years and views gaming and esports as key focus areas. Silver Lake co-CEO Egon Durban indicated plans to invest in using AI to improve game development and player experiences.
Electronic Arts filed an amended Form 10-K/A with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on July 28, disclosing executive compensation for fiscal year 2026. CEO Andrew Wilson received approximately $38.6 million (about ¥6.3 billion), a 26% increase from the previous year. His bonus, listed as Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation, was $6.5 million (about ¥1.06 billion), roughly 2.3 times the prior year's amount. The pay increase is attributed to strong performance of titles including 'Battlefield 6' and 'skate.', which met launch and player goals. However, EA conducted multiple layoffs in 2026: in February, Full Circle, the 'skate.' developer, cut staff, and in March, layoffs hit Criterion, DICE, Ripple Effect, and Motive Studios, the teams behind 'Battlefield 6'. The contrast between rising executive pay and job cuts has drawn criticism, with overseas media like PC Gamer and Reddit threads questioning the industry's treatment of developers. EA's acquisition by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners is set to complete on August 4, with Wilson remaining CEO.
Electronic Arts will launch Season 30 of Apex Legends, titled Marked, on August 5, 2026, at 2:00 AM JST. The season centers on a major rework of the original Legend Bloodhound, whose new ultimate ability Allfather's Cloak cloaks nearby teammates, granting movement speed and threat vision until they fire or take damage. Bloodhound's passive now leaves glowing trails from enemy movement, and the tactical scan extends with periodic snapshot scans. The World's Edge map receives a night-time overhaul with new points of interest including East Village, War Camp, and Tree Settlement, while the nostalgic Sorting Factory and Construction Site return. The loot system is simplified: Extended Supply Bins, Weapon Supply Bins, and wildlife loot are removed. New Corrupted Attachments offer late-game power at a cost. Loba and Rampart also receive buffs: Loba's Black Market cooldown is reduced and her tactical ability moves faster and farther; Rampart gains movement speed while firing Sheila and improved Amped Cover durability. The Marked Battle Pass includes Legendary skins for Bloodhound and Caustic, and a Mythic CAR skin called Allfather's Wrath.
Electronic Arts released the official gameplay trailer for Battlefield 6 Season 4 "Naval" on July 16. The season launches July 21 in three phases, starting with the map Tsuru Reef, which introduces naval combat via a wave-based system. Phase 2 adds a Top Gun collaboration, new modes Carrier Strike and Fighter Sweep, and vehicles like the RHIB and F/A-81F Super Spectre. Phase 3 details are to be announced.
Electronic Arts announced during Summer Game Fest 2026 that the turn-based strategy game Star Wars Zero Company will release on August 27, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and the EA app. Developed by Bit Reactor in collaboration with Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games, the single-player title is set during the decline of the Clone Wars. Players control Hawks, a former Republic army officer, who leads Zero Company, a squad of mercenaries and specialists from across the galaxy, to stop a threat that could collapse the galaxy. The gameplay trailer released alongside the announcement shows combat featuring Jedi, astromech droids, and other archetypes, with abilities such as using the Force to pull enemies from cover. At the end of the trailer, a character identified as Anakin Skywalker appears. Customization options include changing squad members' voice, appearance, and class. Sending squad members on missions together deepens their bonds. The game also features planets from the Star Wars universe, including Vandor from Solo: A Star Wars Story and Mapuzo from the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Electronic Arts announced the Power Trip event for Apex Legends Season 29 Overclock, running June 2 to 23. The limited-time mode Wildcard gains round modifiers that change rules each round, including double jump, mythical weapons, wall-running, and infinite grenades. New skins for Wraith, Octane, Lifeline, Bangalore, and Fuse are available in the event store.