By bizn_fun 
The deal will take EA private – meaning all of its public shares will be purchased and it will no longer be traded on a stock exchange.
The purchase price puts a significant 25% premium on the market value of EA, valuing it at $210 per share.
It is the second most valuable gaming purchase in history, following Microsoft’s $69bn deal to buy Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard – which went through after significant battles with global regulators, with the UK concerned it may damage competition.
In the end, the deal was only approved after Microsoft handed the rights to distribute the firm’s games on consoles and PCs over the cloud to Assassin’s Creed-maker Ubisoft.
EA boss Andrew Wilson, who will remain in post, said it was a “powerful recognition” of the firm’s work.
“Together with our partners, we will create transformative experiences to inspire generations to come,” he said.
The firms buying EA will contribute approximately $36bn, with the remaining amount being financed by loans.
“EA has been open to a potential buyer to help level up for a while,” industry expert Christopher Dring told the BBC.
“But an acquisition from private equity is a surprise and there’s a lot of industry anxiety around this deal.”
He said there were concerns that the deal would result in $20bn of debt – which would need to be paid back.
“The revenue generated by big games like EA Sports FC, Madden and Battlefield 6 will be needed to service this debt, which may impact EA’s ability to invest in new games,” he said.
“Other industry concerns are whether this might lead to further cuts at EA, especially if there’s pressure from the private companies to deliver stronger cash flow, again to serve that debt.”