EA says all required regulatory approvals for its $55 billion sale to a consortium including Saudi Arabia, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners have now been obtained, and expects the deal to close on 4 August. This moves the leveraged buyout close to completion and would take the games publisher private, reducing public visibility of its future decisions.

The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions, but EA says completion is expected unless a last-minute problem arises; chief executive Andrew Wilson is expected to remain in post. Unions, 46 US lawmakers and some developers have raised concerns about job security, transparency, creative independence and possible pressure on diversity, alongside criticism of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.