The EA Buyout was completed for $55 billion in August 2026, led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and there’s talk of another change behind the scenes. In a recent report, Bloomberg claims that the PIF is considering folding EA into Savvy Games Group, another company it owns, to create a single mega publisher under one group. Let's take a look at what this could mean for EA, Maxis, and The Sims franchise!
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Who Are Savvy Games?
Savvy Games is a Saudi owned gaming group that’s been buying studios and mobile publishers since it was established in 2021. Bloomberg notes that it received around $38 billion to build a huge portfolio, including Scopely (Monopoly Go) and parts of Niantic (Pokémon Go). They are also in the middle of acquiring Moonton, a major mobile developer, for $6 billion.
Savvy Games is an umbrella company. It buys up studios, invests in new projects and tries to build across both mobile and console/PC gaming. EA, meanwhile, is known for long‑running franchises like The Sims, Battlefield, EA Sports FC and Star Wars titles. If the two were combined, it would put some of the biggest console and mobile games in the world under the same ownership.
How Does This Connect to the EA Buyout?
Bloomberg reports that PIF is exploring whether EA and Savvy should be merged so the fund can manage all its gaming investments through one central company. The idea is to both streamline control of the PIF's gaming assets and make future acquisitions easier.
It’s important to note that this isn’t a done deal. Bloomberg’s sources say no final decision has been made, and nothing would move forward until Savvy finishes its $6 billion Moonton acquisition. Any merger of this size would also face regulatory scrutiny, just like Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard did.
What Could This Mean for Maxis and The Sims?
For players, the biggest concern is, of course, how these kinds of deals affect the games we love, in our case, The Sims. Maxis has been part of EA for decades, even before The Sims was in full development. Nothing in Bloomberg’s reporting suggests the studio is being broken up, sold, or moved. A merger with Savvy wouldn’t change who makes The Sims, however it could change the priorities of the company that owns it.
- More pressure on mobile expansion: Savvy’s portfolio is heavily mobile focused. If EA is merged with Savvy Games, there may be stronger pushes for mobile projects or cross‑platform strategies. We know that cross-platform integration was developed for Project Rene, however, we do not know if this will be carried across to Project X.
- More control from the top: Bloomberg reported that the PIF has been tightening oversight of its companies. If EA and Savvy were merged then Maxis could find itself under a more centralized leadership structure.
- More complicated corporate environment: Maxis are already owned by a huge publisher, and as we have recently reported, some employees are not too happy with how their superiors treat the studios. Merging EA with Savvy Games could introduce new ways of working, or new technologies, to the workplace and development cycles respectively. Creative freedom is often quashed by financial decisions from above, so this could perhaps change.
None of this means The Sims is suddenly at risk! The business around who develops the games, and how they are developed, will likely shift. It is also important to note that EA have a large mobile-gaming focused library already, and none of this means that The Sims will immediately become a mobile only game.
What are your thoughts on the potential merger? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to Sims Community for all the latest on Electronic Arts!
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