Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ:EA, ETR:ERT) shares climbed more than 14% to $192.25 in late afternoon trading on Friday after the Wall Street Journal reported that the video game maker is in advanced discussions to go private at a valuation of about $50 billion, citing a source familiar with the matter.
The media outlet noted that the deal, which could be announced as soon as next week, involves a group of investors including private-equity firm Silver Lake and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
In late July, Electronic Arts reported preliminary fiscal first quarter 2026 net bookings of $1.298 billion, which was above the high end of their guidance range and exceeded Wall Street estimates of $1.285 billion.
The company, though, has forecast second-quarter net bookings below analyst expectations.
Recently, its Battlefield 6 beta game saw the largest player count in the franchise’s history, beating the 13.2 million record set by Battlefield 1.
Electronic Arts stock has gained more than 30% year to date.