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(Reuters) -Videogame publisher Electronic Arts said on Monday it has agreed to be taken private by a consortium consisting of private equity firm Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Affinity Partners in a $55 billion deal. Under the deal, EA shareholders will receive $210 per share in cash, representing a premium of 25% as of the company's closing share price on September 25 before reports of a deal emerged. The offer comes at a crucial time for Electronic Arts, which is gearing up to launch the highly-anticipated "Battlefield 6" in an industry where gamers stick to proven and recognizable titles. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -Videogame publisher Electronic Arts said on Monday it has agreed to be taken private by a consortium consisting of private equity firm Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Affinity Partners in a $55 billion deal. Under the deal, EA shareholders will receive $210 per share in cash, representing a premium of 25% as of the company's closing share price on September 25 before reports of a deal emerged. The offer comes at a crucial time for Electronic Arts, which is gearing up to launch the highly-anticipated "Battlefield 6" in an industry where gamers stick to proven and recognizable titles. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Zaheer Kachwala (Reuters) -Videogame developer Electronic Arts has agreed to sell itself to a group of private investors in a deal that values the maker of "Battlefield" and "Madden NFL" at $55 billion, which if completed would be the largest leveraged buyout in history. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners and private equity firm Silver Lake came together to buy the popular videogame maker with a combination of $36 billion in cash, equity already held by PIF, and $20 billion in debt financed by JPMorgan, the company said Monday. For PIF, Saudi Arabia's $1 trillion wealth fund, the investment is a massive opportunity to push ahead with efforts to become a global hub for games and sports, as it bets on the enduring value of blockbuster game franchises as the industry recovers from a prolonged downturn.  The deal could also herald a comeback of massive leveraged buyouts, which fell out of favor after several major deals executed in the years before the Global Financial Crisis ended in disaster. Among these was the record $45 billion takeover of Texas utility TXU Energy in 2007 that wound up in bankruptcy just seven years later. The EA deal "waves the green flag on sponsors resuming mega-deal transactions following several years of fishing for opportunities down market due to market headwinds such as higher borrowing costs," said Kyle Walters, private equity analyst at PitchBook.  EA shareholders will receive $210 per share in cash, a premium of 25% over the September 25 closing price of $168.32, before reports of a deal emerged, giving it an equity value of about $52.5 billion, according to Reuters' calculations. The company's shares rose 5% in midday trading to about $202.54 a share. The take-private offer comes at a crucial time for EA, which is banking heavily on its core sports portfolio and action shooter intellectual property to weather a sluggish videogame industry as gamers get picky with spending. "The financial backing and resources of the investor consortium should enable EA to increase its focus on long-term growth opportunities that may have been viewed as too risky or expensive as a public company," analysts at Freedom Capital Markets wrote in a note to clients on Monday.  Electronic Arts is gearing up to launch the much-awaited "Battlefield 6" in an industry where gamers stick to proven and recognizable titles.  Still, "while the $210 per share offer price may appear compelling … we believe it falls materially short of the company’s intrinsic value. With Battlefield 6 about to launch and a pipeline that could add more than $2B in incremental bookings by FY28, the true earnings power of EA is only beginning to emerge," Benchmark analysts said.  The company's sports portfolio has stood out for over a decade due to its global popularity and consistent recurring revenue as strong in-game spending patterns remain key for the franchise's longevity. The deal also has big appeal for Saudi Arabia's wealth fund as part of the kingdom's plans to diversify its economy away from oil by pouring billions in sectors including infrastructure, tourism, sports and gaming. Kushner, who is married to U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka, started Affinity Partners in 2021. The firm has investments from funds in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal year 2027 with $18 billion of the debt financed at closing. It will remain in Redwood City, California with CEO Andrew Wilson remaining at the helm.  The previous LBO record holder, the $45 billion takeover of Texas utility TXU Energy in 2007 by private equity firm KKR & Co., alternative asset manager TPG and Goldman Sachs, went bankrupt in 2014. The leveraged buyouts of Toys "R" Us and Hertz also had rough goes. Toys "R" Us filed for bankruptcy in 2017 about a dozen years after Bain Capital and KKR bought the retailer for $6.6 billion. Rental car company Hertz did not survive the pandemic, filing for bankruptcy in 2020 after going private for $14.8 billion in 2005. EA must pay a $1 billion fee if it terminates the merger due to a board reversal, accepts a higher bid, or pursues another deal within a year of a shareholder rejection.  The consortium owes the same amount if regulatory delays push completion past September 28, 2026, or if it breaches the agreement. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila, Elisa Martinelli, David Gaffen, Dawn Kopecki, Franklin Paul and David Gregorio)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -Videogame publisher Electronic Arts said on Monday it has agreed to be taken private by a consortium in a $55 billion deal, marking one of the biggest acquisitions in the sector. The deal for the maker of "Battlefield" underscores how deep-pocketed investors are betting on the enduring value of blockbuster game franchises as the industry recovers from a prolonged downturn. The consortium consists of private equity firm Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Affinity Partners. Under the deal, the largest leveraged buyout in history, EA shareholders will receive $210 per share in cash, representing a premium of 25% as of the closing share price on September 25 before reports of a deal emerged. The offer comes at a crucial time for Electronic Arts, which is gearing up to launch the much-awaited "Battlefield 6" in an industry where gamers stick to proven and recognizable titles. The transaction, which is expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal year 2027, will be funded by a combination of cash from PIF, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, as well as a roll-over of the PIF's existing stake in EA. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -Videogame giant Electronic Arts will be taken private in a record-breaking $55 billion leveraged buyout by a consortium consisting of private equity firm Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners, the company said Monday. The deal for the maker of "Battlefield" underscores how deep-pocketed investors are betting on the enduring value of blockbuster game franchises as the industry recovers from a prolonged downturn. The deal would rank as one of the largest leveraged buyouts in history, surpassing 2007's buyout of TXU Energy and other major buyouts of that decade including Toys 'R' Us and Hertz. Under the deal, EA shareholders will receive $210 per share in cash, representing a premium of 25% as of the closing share price on September 25 before reports of a deal emerged. The take-private offer comes at a crucial time for EA, which is banking heavily on its core sports portfolio and action shooter intellectual property to weather a sluggish videogame industry as gamers get picky with spending. The offer comes as Electronic Arts gears up to launch the much-awaited "Battlefield 6" in an industry where gamers stick to proven and recognizable titles. The transaction, which is expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal year 2027, will be funded by a combination of cash from PIF, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, as well as a roll-over of the PIF's existing stake in EA. EA must pay a $1 billion fee if it terminates the merger due to a board reversal, accepts a higher bid, or pursues another deal within a year of a shareholder rejection. The consortium owes the same amount if regulatory delays push completion past Sept. 28, 2026, or if it breaches the agreement. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -Social media platform X said on Monday that it was "deeply concerned" by an Indian court's ruling that quashed its challenge to New Delhi's content removal mechanisms, and would appeal it to defend freedom of expression in the country. Elon Musk-owned X has locked horns with Indian authorities for months over the latter's new content removal system, equating it with censorship. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has argued that the new system tackled a proliferation of unlawful content and ensured accountability online. The new mechanism "has no basis in the law", violated rulings from the country's top court and infringed on Indians' basic rights of freedom of speech and expression, X said on Monday. Musk, a self-described free-speech absolutist, has clashed with authorities in several countries over compliance and content takedown demands, but the company's Indian lawsuit targeted the entire basis for tightened internet regulation in the world's most populous nation. Modi's government has ramped up efforts to police the internet since 2023, by allowing many more officials to file takedown orders and submit them directly to tech firms through a website launched in October. Last week, an Indian judge said every platform that operated in India "must accept that liberty is yoked with responsibility". In its post, X said: "X respects and complies with Indian law… We respectfully disagree with the view that we have no right to raise these concerns because of our incorporation abroad…" (Reporting by Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru and Hritam Mukherjee in New Delhi; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Saad Sayeed and Alex Richardson)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -OpenAI on Monday introduced a feature that would allow users to make purchases through ChatGPT, in partnership with Etsy and Shopify. Merchants will have to pay a fee on completed purchases to OpenAI, and it doesn't affect their prices. There will be no charges for the Instant Checkout for users. The move opens up a new source of revenue for OpenAI, taking advantage of the heavy user traffic on ChatGPT, in addition to its traditional subscription model. "U.S. ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and free users can now buy directly from U.S. Etsy sellers right in chat, with over a million Shopify merchants, like Glossier, SKIMS, Spanx and Vuori, coming soon," OpenAI said in a blog post. Starting Monday, Instant Checkout will support single-item purchases, but OpenAI said it will add multi-item carts and expand merchants and regions. Shares of Etsy rose 7.3%, while U.S.-listed shares of Shopify popped 4.5% after the announcement. "Shopify merchants will be able to sell directly through ChatGPT conversations — no links or no redirects, just seamless commerce," the platform said on its website. Etsy's chief product and technology officer, Rafe Colburn, said that AI-powered and agentic shopping presents meaningful opportunities for the online marketplace. Colburn said that Etsy is working with a tech partner — without naming the company — to seamlessly integrate product discovery into mobile experiences. OpenAI said it will open-source the agentic commerce protocol, built with payments firm Stripe, which powers the checkout. (Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Alan Barona)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -OpenAI on Monday introduced a feature that would allow users to make purchases through ChatGPT, in partnership with Etsy and Shopify. Merchants will have to pay a fee on completed purchases to OpenAI, but there will be no charges for users and it doesn't affect their prices. The move opens up a new source of revenue for OpenAI, taking advantage of the heavy user traffic on ChatGPT, in addition to its traditional subscription model. "Instant Checkout is now rolling out to U.S. ChatGPT Pro, Plus and Free logged-in users buying from U.S. Etsy sellers, with over 1 million Shopify merchants coming soon," OpenAI said on X. Shares of Etsy rose 7.3%, while U.S.-listed shares of Shopify popped 4.5% after the announcement. "Shopify merchants will be able to sell directly through ChatGPT conversations — no links or no redirects, just seamless commerce," the platform said on its website. The AI startup said it will open-source the agentic commerce protocol, built with payments firm Stripe, which powers the checkout. (Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Alan Barona)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -OpenAI on Monday introduced a feature that would allow users to make purchases through ChatGPT, in partnership with Etsy and Shopify. Merchants will have to pay a fee on completed purchases to OpenAI, but there will be no charges for users and it doesn't affect their prices. The move opens up a new source of revenue for OpenAI, taking advantage of the heavy user traffic on ChatGPT, in addition to its traditional subscription model. "Instant Checkout is now rolling out to U.S. ChatGPT Pro, Plus and Free logged-in users buying from U.S. Etsy sellers, with over 1 million Shopify merchants coming soon," OpenAI said on X. Shares of Etsy rose 7.3%, while U.S.-listed shares of Shopify popped 4.5% after the announcement. "Shopify merchants will be able to sell directly through ChatGPT conversations — no links or no redirects, just seamless commerce," the platform said on its website. The AI startup said it will open-source the agentic commerce protocol, built with payments firm Stripe, which powers the checkout. (Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Alan Barona)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Jeffrey Dastin and Deepa Seetharaman (Reuters) -Anthropic unveiled the Claude 4.5 AI model on Monday, saying the newest version can code for longer uninterrupted stretches and handle finance and scientific tasks better, as the startup pushes deeper into enterprise AI. The Alphabet and Amazon.com-backed AI startup is racing rivals to build models that can reliably operate software and complete multi-step work, key for AI agents, which can perform tasks on behalf of humans. The Sonnet 4.5 model created a web app from scratch in internal tests, and one customer had the AI chatbot code autonomously for 30 hours, up from a seven-hour run achieved by Anthropic's earlier Claude Opus 4 for a different client, Chief Product Officer Mike Krieger said. Anthropic is targeting power users and business customers rather than chasing a viral consumer moment, he said. Claude 4.5 is stronger at finance and scientific reasoning and better at using computers, scoring about 60% on a benchmark that tests operating-system dexterity versus roughly 40% for prior models, the company said. "It's a lot more visceral when you just see the model using a computer the way a person does if you're not a coder," said Chief Science Officer Jared Kaplan. Separately on Monday, Microsoft said it would add new Microsoft 365 Copilot features powered by Anthropic models, including "Agent Mode" in Excel and Word and an "Office Agent" in Copilot chat, with PowerPoint to follow. Microsoft last week said it would bring Anthropic's models to Microsoft 365 Copilot to diversify beyond longtime partner OpenAI. Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI executives, has positioned Claude for workplace use with guardrails it says reduce risky outputs. The company has been marketing Claude's coding and data-analysis skills to regulated industries and teams that want models to work across multiple software tools. Krieger said the company's focus is on sustained, reliable performance over long tasks rather than short demos. (Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin, Deepa Seetharaman in San Francisco and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)