VIDEOGAME MAKER EA IN TALKS TO GO PRIVATE AT ROUGHLY $50 BILLION VALUATION

Electronic Arts (EA.O), the videogame publisher behind titles such as "FC" and "Battlefield", is in advanced talks to go private at a valuation of roughly $50 billion, according to sources familiar with the matter.

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A group of investors including private equity firm Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners could unveil a deal for the publisher as soon as next week, the sources said on Friday. If it goes through, the deal would mark the largest ever leveraged buyout in history.

The take-private offer comes at a crucial time for EA, which is banking heavily on its core sports portfolio and action shooter intellectual property to weather a sluggish videogame industry as gamers get picky with spending.