EA Buyout Highlights Gaming Struggles as Growth Slows (2)

The leveraged buyout of video-game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. by a group of investors including the Saudi sovereign wealth fund highlights challenges in the broader gaming industry, which has struggled in recent years to find new avenues of growth.

A group including Silver Lake Management and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which already owns 10% of Electronic Arts, will acquire the game maker in what will amount to the biggest leveraged buyout on record, the companies said Monday. The deal values Electronic Arts at $55 billion.

Electronic Arts, known for popular games such as Battlefield and EA Sports FC, ranks among the ...