Sept 26 (Reuters) - Electronic Arts (EA.O), opens new tab, 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.

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.

EA's hopes rest heavy on "Battlefield 6", the latest installation in the popular shooter game franchise that has been lauded by fans for its detailed visuals and intense combat and which many analysts expect will sell millions of copies, as well as on its soccer title "FC 26".

The deal to take EA private would also mark further consolidation within the industry, after titans such as Activision Blizzard and Zynga were swooped up by even larger firms, further reducing the number of publicly listed videogame companies.

"EA does make sense as an acquisition target - the cash flows are fairly consistent and EA's annualized titles make for predictable revenue/profitability," D.A. Davidson & Co analyst Wyatt Swanson said.

Shares of EA closed around 15% higher on Friday.