The investment group Affinity Partners is also involved in the deal. The agreement provides for the repurchase of all EA shares, and, according to institutions such as Citigroup, the timing for this is a bit strange.
In an interview with Yahoo Finance, Citigroup Managing Director Jason Bazinet noted:
"The irony is that the market will soon see Battlefield 6 sales figures. If orders are high, buyers will demand a premium. The question arises: why make an offer right now? Perhaps it would have been smarter to do it six months ago, when the Battlefield 6 data was unknown."
The deal adds $20 billion in debt to EA through a potentially high-interest Single B loan. According to Bazinet's calculations, the internal rate of return (IRR) on the project is not high:
"If you use consensus forecasts, the IRR will be in the low to mid single digits. From a financial point of view, this is not the most rational move. Perhaps the Saudis have strategic motives, but economically the deal raises questions."