Why Wall Street Has So Much Riding on Mega EA Buyout: QuickTake

The planned $55 billion leveraged buyout of video-game maker Electronic Arts Inc. is set to rain money on Wall Street, with banks in line to share roughly $500 million in fees for arranging the financing.

The deal is being orchestrated by private equity firm Silver Lake Management alongside Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Affinity Partners, a firm managed by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Buyers are clamoring for a piece of the action, eager to put money to work in one of a handful of jumbo buyout deals starting to emerge after a slow period for ...