The Wall Street Journal reported that Electronic Arts is in the process of being sold to investors for $50 billion.
We have not confirmed this report. The investor group reportedly includes private equity firm Silver Lake Partners and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The Saudis have set aside $37 billion in invest in games and have already built a gaming financial empire through Savvy Games Group.
EA has its Battlefield 6 title coming — the first such game in four years — on October 10, and it is also known for its annual sports titles in franchises like Madden NFL, FIFA, and NBA Live. It also has titles like The Sims, Need for Speed and Skate.
According to the WSJ, this deal could be the largest leveraged buyout in history, meaning that the deal is mostly funded with debt.
After the news broke that EA could be going private, stocks jumped 15% on Friday afternoon. The company is now valued at $48 billion.
We’ve asked EA for comment and will update the story as needed.