Electronic Arts is negotiating a $50 billion valuation to go private

According to people familiar with the situation, Electronic Arts, the company that publishes computer games like «FC» and «Battlefield,» is in advanced negotiations to go private at a price of about $50 billion.

According to the sources on Friday, a group of investors, including Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF, and private equity company Silver Lake, might make an announcement about a bid for the publisher as early as next week. The transaction, if completed, would be the most leveraged buyout ever.

In afternoon trading, EA shares increased by over 15%.
While attempting to satisfy high fan expectations in the face of a general drop in consumer discretionary expenditure, the video game industry has been battling with growing development costs and fiercer competition.

In July, EA, which is valued at over $42 billion on the market, reported quarterly net reserves that were lower than Wall Street had anticipated.