Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase have landed leading roles in the largest leveraged buyout ever, as Electronic Arts agreed to a $55bn sale to a consortium led by Silver Lake, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Goldman is serving as adviser to EA, while JPMorgan is providing $20bn in debt financing and advising Silver Lake. The deal cements Goldman’s position as the top global M&A adviser for the eighth consecutive year and boosts JPMorgan’s standing as it closes in on Morgan Stanley in the league tables.

The investor consortium also includes Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Affinity Partners, which will require regulatory approvals in multiple jurisdictions. JPMorgan’s global brand is expected to help smooth the approval process.

The scale of the financing highlights the continued dominance of bulge-bracket banks in megadeals, with boutiques such as Evercore and Centerview unable to compete on transactions of this size. It follows a broader trend of large corporates relying on Wall Street’s biggest banks for record-breaking transactions.

The EA buyout adds to a wave of high-value M&A that has pushed global deal volumes above $1tn in the third quarter, only the second time this milestone has been reached. Analysts expect a strong year-end for dealmaking, with private equity playing a central role.

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