Electronic Arts’ Earnings Meet Expectations Ahead of $55 Billion Take-Private Deal

The company is being taken private by Silver Lake, Affinity Partners, and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. (Photograph by Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg)

Electronic Arts earnings, disclosed Tuesday, show the videogame maker has maintained decent momentum as it moves closer to becoming a private company in a $55 billion take-private deal unveiled last month.

For the second quarter of its financial year, Electronic Arts posted net bookings of $1.82 billion, down 13% from the prior year but within the range of $1.8 billion to $1.9 billion management had told investors to expect. It was no surprise that the number fell short of the year-earlier figure given the strong performance of EA College Football 25 in 2024.

The Madden NFL, Apex Legends, and FC franchises all delivered year-over-year net bookings growth, the company said, though exact figures were unavailable.

Net income totaled $137 million. That is less than half the $294 million in income the company reported last year, but above the $73 million to $117 million management had told investors to expect.

A consortium led by the investment firm Silver Lake, Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s sovereign-wealth fund, are expected to take over EA in early fiscal 2027, which begins next April. Shareholders will receive $210 a share in cash in the deal.

Shares have hovered just above $200, a bit below the cash price, since the take-private deal was announced, as is common before such transactions close.

The company said Tuesday it won’t host an earnings call for the second quarter and will no longer provide financial forecasts given the acquisition.

Write to Nate Wolf at nate.wolf@barrons.com