We’re running this one with a healthy dose of skepticism, but the details are striking enough that we need to lay them out: Jared Kushner allegedly helped connect the Saudi Crown Prince to the leadership of Electronic Arts, and that introduction is being tied to the record-setting acquisition of the company.
What Was Reported
Per Kotaku, which relays an excerpt attributed to The New Yorker, Jared Kushner “enjoys playing video games with M.B.S.” and, after that relationship developed, Kushner put the Crown Prince in touch with Andrew Wilson, the head of Electronic Arts.
Kotaku reports the two men met in Neom, played a round of golf, and—again, allegedly—“Jared brought M.B.S. the deal.” Not long after, M.B.S. reportedly assembled a consortium, including Affinity, to acquire Electronic Arts for fifty-five billion dollars, which Kotaku calls the largest leveraged buyout in history.
The write-up quoted by Kotaku also flags regulatory concerns: that Electronic Arts “handles a huge amount of users’ private data,” and that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is “largely made up of Trump officials,” with the President holding final authority over the review. Kotaku notes the deal “was approved last month.”
Kotaku’s piece also reminds readers of a darker backdrop: that in 2018 Jamal Khashoggi was reportedly assassinated and his body “cut into pieces with a bone saw,” a claim presented in the same reporting context as the Kushner–M.B.S. relationship.
The Source & Credibility
What Kotaku Cites
Kotaku published its item on September 19, 2026 and relays an excerpt that it attributes to The New Yorker. The claims describe a sequence from online chats to in-person meetings in Neom, the formation of a Saudi-led consortium, and a multibillion-dollar acquisition.
How Strong Are The Claims?
- These are sourced to named publications; take this with a pinch of salt and treat unverified personal anecdotes—like what two people play when they’re online—as claims rather than established fact.
- Kotaku frames the information as reporting from a profile of Kushner’s diplomacy: the tone presented is suggestive and relies on attribution rather than definitive proof of a step-by-step transactional roadmap.
- Key transactional claims—like “Jared brought M.B.S. the deal” and the role
