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By Zaheer Kachwala (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. It would be the largest leveraged buyout on record, eclipsing TXU Energy's 2007 takeover and other landmark transactions of that decade, including Toys "R" Us and Hertz, and comes amid a rebound in global dealmaking as easing borrowing costs revive appetite for mega-transactions. Under the deal, EA shareholders will receive $210 per share in cash, representing a premium of 25% as of the closing price on September 25 before reports of a deal emerged. The deal has an equity value of $52.54 billion, according to Reuters' calculations. 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. Electronic Arts is gearing up to launch the much-awaited "Battlefield 6" in an industry where gamers stick to proven and recognizable titles. "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. Electronic Arts said the deal consists of an equity investment of around $36 billion, and $20 billion of debt financing committed by JPMorgan, $18 billion of which is expected to be funded at the transaction's close. 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 rollover 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 September 28, 2026, or if it breaches the agreement. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)

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(Reuters) -Electric aircraft maker Beta Technologies filed for an initial public offering in the United States on Monday, the latest company to join the rush to tap a record-breaking bull run in the equity market. Easing trade tensions, robust stock markets and pent-up investor demand have combined to create one of the busiest windows for listings in years, with technology, aerospace and green energy firms leading the charge. Beta Technologies designs, manufactures and sells high-performance electric aircraft, advanced electric propulsion systems, charging systems and components. Electric aviation remains a niche segment of the transportation industry, with only a handful of companies developing and testing commercial aircraft. The company said, citing internal estimates, that operating costs for its aircraft are 42% lower than conventional planes, thanks to a simplified design. "Our aircraft's design eliminates the need for complex components such as gear boxes, in-flight liquid cooling systems, and thrust vectoring mechanisms," it added in the IPO prospectus. Beta Technologies said its ALIA CTOL electric aircraft has completed thousands of flights, covering nearly 83,000 nautical miles, including operations in North America and Europe. The company's aircraft has also been used by the U.S. military in training missions and flown by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The broader electric vehicle and technology industries have been in the spotlight for years, drawing investment and fueling growth across the automotive and clean-tech sectors. Interest, however, has been uneven, with some segments and regions growing rapidly while others face adoption and infrastructure challenges. Beta Technologies, backed by tech giant Amazon, did not disclose the size or terms of its offering. The company is aiming to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "BETA." Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are the lead underwriters of the offering. (Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Anil D'Silva)

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By Amy-Jo Crowley and Andres Gonzalez LONDON (Reuters) -Elliott Investment Management is exploring strategic options for its UK-based Ark Data Centres in a possible sale that could fetch more than 3 billion pounds ($4.00 billion), according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The U.S. hedge fund has held informal talks with advisers about a potential sale of the Wiltshire-based firm, with a process potentially starting early next year, one of the people said.  While no formal decisions have been made, potential infrastructure investors have been approached, a second person said. That person said that Elliott had attempted to sell the company before in 2023 but offers had not reached their expectations at the time. However, since then global appetite for data centres, which support artificial intelligence and cloud computing services, has soared since OpenAI launched its ChatGPT platform in 2022. Investment in data centres will reach $6.7 trillion by 2030 to meet the computing power demand driven by AI and cloud services, McKinsey consultants estimate. Elliott declined to comment, while Ark did not respond to requests for comment. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter was private.  Elliott acquired Ark Data Centres in 2012 through its private equity arm. European real estate investor Revcap, which did not respond to requests for comment, retains a minority stake in the unit. ARK has a joint venture with the UK Government’s Cabinet Office called Crown Hosting Data Centres, which gives Ark access to all UK public data centre requirements. Earlier this week, OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank announced plans for five new AI data centres under the Stargate project, a private initiative unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump that aims to invest up to $500 billion in AI infrastructure. Other data centre deals include Singapore's SC Capital's  talks to buy British data centre group Global Switch in a transaction that could value at up to $5 billion.  ($1 = 0.7492 pounds) (Reporting by Amy-Jo Crowley and Andres Gonzalez in London. Editing by Anousha Sakoui and Louise Heavens)

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(Reuters) -Videogame publisher Electronic Arts said on Monday it had agreed to be taken private by a consortium that included private equity firm Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Affinity Partners for $55 billion. The company has lined up a slate of major releases for 2025 and beyond, including fresh installments in its flagship sports and shooter series. Below are key video game titles on EA's release schedule: Battlefield 6: The first-person shooter franchise is scheduled for global release on October 10 for PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S. It is the 18th installment in the Battlefield series and has been described as a return to a more serious tone following mixed reviews of Battlefield 2042. EA SPORTS FC 26: Released in September, with the early access for the Ultimate Edition on September 19 and the standard edition launch worldwide on September 26. It is the third installment under the EA Sports FC brand following the rebranding of the FIFA series. F1 25: Released on May 30 for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. It is the official game covering the 2025 Formula One and Formula 2 championships. Split Fiction: A co-op action-adventure game released in March 2025, is a cooperative multiplayer action-adventure game focused on two authors trapped in their own stories. The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies Expansion: A March expansion pack adding new entrepreneurial and hobby options to the popular life simulation game. Dragon Age: The Veilguard: A role-playing game from BioWare released in October last year, continuing the acclaimed fantasy series. (Reporting by Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)

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(Reuters) -Companies are increasingly opting for a co-CEO structure as their operations become expansive, diverse and complicated. Among the high-profile firms, Oracle and Netflix have joint CEOs running their business operations. Below is a list of companies that have adopted such a structure: COMCAST The media and telecom major appointed Michael Cavanagh as its first co-CEO on Tuesday, effective Jan 2026. He will serve alongside existing CEO Brian Roberts. Cavanagh will also be named to Comcast's board. NETFLIX The streaming giant transitioned to a dual CEO model in July 2020 when Ted Sarandos was promoted to the top job alongside then-CEO Reed Hastings. In January 2023, Hastings stepped down, and Greg Peters was promoted to join Sarandos. Sarandos leads content, marketing and legal affairs, while Peters focuses on technology, product development and operations. KKR The private equity firm appointed co-presidents Scott Nuttall and Joseph Bae as co-CEOs in 2021, succeeding the company's billionaire co-founders Henry Kravis and George Roberts. Bae focuses on private markets and Asia expansion, while Nuttall leads on credit, capital markets, insurance and the firm's overall balance sheet. LENNAR The U.S. homebuilder's current chief executives are Stuart Miller and Jon Jaffe. Miller was appointed as co-CEO to join Jaffe when Rick Beckwitt decided to step down. Both executives shape the company's strategy, overseeing homebuilding operations and leading initiatives like mergers and acquisitions. GENSLER Architecture and design firm Gensler is led by Elizabeth Brink and Jordan Goldstein, both of whom were appointed in 2024, succeeding the previous pair Andy Cohen and Diane Hoskins. Brink and Goldstein share responsibilities of day-to-day operations. SERES THERAPEUTICS The drug developer in July appointed Thomas Desrosier and Marella Thorell as co-CEOs, taking over from Eric Shaff. Shaff remains in the company as a director. SHARPLINK GAMING The online marketing company appointed Joseph Chalom as co-CEO in July alongside Rob Phythian, who co-founded the company in 2019. SharpLink has been raising funds to acquire cryptocurrencies, including ether, to work as a crypto treasury vehicle, mimicking the playbook of Michael Saylor's Strategy. IREN Bitcoin miner IREN is run by co-founders Daniel Roberts and Will Roberts. The brothers serve as co-CEOs. MONSTER BEVERAGE The energy drinks maker in January 2021 named Hilton Schlosberg as co-CEO alongside Rodney Sacks. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala, Kritika Lamba and Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed and 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.)

(Reuters) -Videogame publisher Electronic Arts said on Monday it had agreed to be taken private by a consortium that included private equity firm Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Affinity Partners for $55 billion. The company has lined up a slate of major releases for 2025 and beyond, including fresh installments in its flagship sports and shooter series. Below are key video game titles on EA's release schedule: Battlefield 6: The first-person shooter franchise is scheduled for global release on October 10 for PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S. It is the 18th installment in the Battlefield series and has been described as a return to a more serious tone following mixed reviews of Battlefield 2042. EA SPORTS FC 26: Released in September, with the early access for the Ultimate Edition on September 19 and the standard edition launch worldwide on September 26. It is the third installment under the EA Sports FC brand following the rebranding of the FIFA series. F1 25: Released on May 30 for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. It is the official game covering the 2025 Formula One and Formula 2 championships. Split Fiction: A co-op action-adventure game released in March 2025, is a cooperative multiplayer action-adventure game focused on two authors trapped in their own stories. The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies Expansion: A March expansion pack adding new entrepreneurial and hobby options to the popular life simulation game. Dragon Age: The Veilguard: A role-playing game from BioWare released in October last year, continuing the acclaimed fantasy series. (Reporting by Kritika Lamba 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.)

By Zaheer Kachwala (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. It would be the largest leveraged buyout on record, eclipsing TXU Energy's 2007 takeover and other landmark transactions of that decade, including Toys "R" Us and Hertz, and comes amid a rebound in global dealmaking as easing borrowing costs revive appetite for mega-transactions. Under the deal, EA shareholders will receive $210 per share in cash, representing a premium of 25% as of the closing price on September 25 before reports of a deal emerged. The deal has an equity value of $52.54 billion, according to Reuters' calculations. 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. Electronic Arts is gearing up to launch the much-awaited "Battlefield 6" in an industry where gamers stick to proven and recognizable titles. "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. Electronic Arts said the deal consists of an equity investment of around $36 billion, and $20 billion of debt financing committed by JPMorgan, $18 billion of which is expected to be funded at the transaction's close. 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 rollover 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 September 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) -OpenAI is rolling out parental controls for ChatGPT on the web and mobile on Monday, following a lawsuit by the parents of a teen who died by suicide after the artificial intelligence startup's chatbot allegedly coached him on methods of self-harm. The controls let parents and teenagers opt in for stronger safeguards by linking their accounts, where one party sends an invitation and parental controls activate only if the other accepts, the company said. U.S. regulators are increasingly scrutinizing AI companies over the potential negative impacts of chatbots. In August, Reuters had reported how Meta's AI rules allowed flirty conversations with kids. Under the new measures, parents will be able to reduce exposure to sensitive content, control whether ChatGPT remembers past chats, and decide if conversations can be used to train OpenAI's models, the Microsoft-backed company said on X. Parents will also be allowed to set quiet hours that block access during certain times and disable voice mode as well as image generation and editing, OpenAI said. However, parents will not have access to a teen's chat transcripts, the company added. In rare cases where systems and trained reviewers detect signs of a serious safety risk, parents may be notified with only the information needed to support the teen's safety, OpenAI said, adding they will be informed if a teen unlinks the accounts. OpenAI, which has about 700 million weekly active users for its ChatGPT products, is building an age prediction system⁠ to help it predict whether a user is under 18 so that the chatbot can automatically apply teen-appropriate settings. Meta had also announced new teenager safeguards to its AI products last month. The company said it will train systems to avoid flirty conversations and discussions of self-harm or suicide with minors and temporarily restrict access to certain AI characters. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)

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A new study in US reveals a troubling rise in advanced liver disease among heavy drinkers. Surprisingly, this increase isn’t due to more drinking. Could this be a wake-up call to rethink drinking guidelines and improve screening methods? Los Angeles (tca/dpa) – Serious liver disease is becoming more common among Americans who drink heavily, according to a new study from Keck Medicine of USC in the US state of California. It's not that more people are partying with alcohol. And it's not that the drinkers are having more drinks. It's that more of the people who drink regularly are becoming sick. Over the last two decades, the share of heavy drinkers who have advanced liver scarring jumped from 1.8% to 4.3%. For women, more than 1.5 drinks per night, on average, is considered heavy drinking. For men, it's 2 drinks. "The fact that the risk not only increased but that it more than doubled — almost tripled — is really astonishing," said Dr. Brian P. Lee , a liver transplant specialist at Keck Medicine of USC and lead author on the study. It was published in the journalClinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology on Wednesday. Lee said he thinks patients might dramatically change their thinking and behavior if they had this information. The increase in illness was seen especially in women, older people and those with conditions like obesity or diabetes. Three USC researchers analyzed national health data from more than 44,000 adults surveyed between 1999 and 2020 in a well-known national heath study known as NHANES. Of those, 2,474 were heavy drinkers according to the definition of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism — 20 grams of alcohol per day for women and 30 grams for men, roughly the equivalent of 1.5 and 2 drinks. They found a more than twofold increase over the two decades in significant liver fibrosis, a condition where healthy liver tissue is replaced by stiff, fibrous tissue — like a sponge hardening into leather. If left unchecked, this can eventually lead to liver failure or cancer. By comparison, non-heavy drinkers saw a much smaller increase, from 0.8% to 1.4% over the same period. This rise in liver damage is especially troubling because many people don't realize anything is wrong until the disease is advanced. "Liver disease is silent," Lee said. "Most people won't, even if they have [advanced liver scarring], have any symptoms at all." Drinking patterns did not change much over the study period. But the health profiles of heavy drinkers did. Rates of metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions including obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure — increased from 26% of people, to nearly 38%. Demographics shifted too: heavy drinkers became more likely to be women, people over the age of 45, and those living in poverty. "We're showing with this study that the picture of the American drinker is changing dramatically," Lee said. "You have more women who are drinking heavily, more ethnic minorities who are drinking heavily, and these are groups that are known to have a higher sensitivity to alcohol in causing liver damage." Other factors may also be at play, said Dr. Sammy Saab , medical director of the Pfleger Liver Institute at UCLA , who was not involved in the study. People could be consuming different types of drinks, or at different times. "Have we moved away from beer, wine, to hard cocktails? Have we moved away from drinking with food, where the food absorbs some of the alcohol you consume, versus drinking without food where alcohol is better absorbed?" Saab asked. Then there are cultural changes, he said. "In the old days, if you drank, you'd still have to drive home, but now we've got Uber, we have Lyft ," he said, which may remove some deterrents to heavy drinking. The current definition of heavy drinking in the US may actually be too lenient, Lee said, especially compared to evolving global standards. Canada , for example, nowadvises no more than two drinks per week to minimize health risks. "In the US right now, we consider heavy drinking to be eight drinks or more per week for women and 15 or more for men — but that's quite high," he said. "We've shown in prior studies that you can develop liver disease at lower quantities than the US threshold." In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) advises men and women to avoid more than 14 drinks per week, while in Australia the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has a lower threshhold at 10 weekly drinks. The study's findings highlight the need to rethink long-held assumptions about alcohol-related liver disease, and Lee hopes it can be used to develop more effective screening methods for early detection. The paper raises a lot of good questions, Saab said, serving as a call to action for researchers and clinicians to better understand this increase in alcohol-associated liver disease — and how to stop it. The following information is not intended for publication tca dpa coh

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(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.)