Saudi Arabia spends $ 55 billion to buy EA Sports, the video game giant

It is a takeover that has the effect of a bomb in the world of video games: the Saudi Arabian Sovereign Fund (PIF) spent $ 55 billion to acquire Electronic Arts (EA Sports), the American publisher behind EA SPORTS FC (ex-Fifa),, The Sims Or Battlefield. A record amount, eleven times higher than the investment of the PIF in the golf course and 180 times that granted to buy Newcastle United.

For Riyadh, the issue goes far beyond video games. This acquisition is part of a soft power strategy intended to transform the image of the kingdom. “EA is the perfect company for what Saudi Arabia wants to accomplish in terms of influence,” analyzes George Osborn, specialist in the sector. The objective is clear: to associate the country with the culture of entertainment and “fun”, rather than its controversies on human rights.

Already present in gaming with participations in Pokémon Go And Monopoly Gothe PIF this time takes orders. If the operation remains subject to the approval of the authorities, it would make EA pass in the Saudi lap and release the company from the Stock Exchange, a way of piloting it without public constraints. This turn is part of Riyadic’s economic diversification plan. Aware that oil dependence has its limits, the kingdom is focusing on video games and electronic sports. With 70 % of the population under the age of 35, Saudi Arabia already stands out as a central player in world esports, welcoming tournaments and future Esport Olympic Games.

Beyond the symbol, this takeover questions the cultural neutrality of video games. EA, whose franchises affect hundreds of millions of players, becomes an unprecedented instrument of influence. Through this operation, Riyadh does not only seek to invest, but to shape the collective imaginations: by interfering in a universe perceived as apolitical, the kingdom subtly redefined the border between entertainment and diplomacy. For analysts, this acquisition does not only mark a colossal investment: it symbolizes the will of Saudi Arabia to redefine the global landscape of entertainment – by blurring, a little more, the border between real sport and the virtual.