After EA, Saudi Arabia Is Reportedly Setting Its Sights On One Of Gaming’s Biggest Engines

Unity Software is reportedly being eyed as the next acquisition by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and a consortium of investors, including US private equity firm Silver Lake Partners. According to Reuters, Unity is already in talks with interested parties, with the software company reportedly valued as high as $25 billion, a significant increase from its current public price of $21.5 billion following its latest earnings report.

Silver Lake already owns 8% of Unity, and talks are said to be in place as Unity considers the best options moving forward. If the company is sold, it'll represent another major investment by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund and partners into the gaming industry, following the recent acquisition of Electronic Arts for $55 billion (that Silver Lake was also involved in). That takeover hasn't been without controversy, as the billions in leveraged debt that EA was saddled with has forced the company to make drastic cuts across the board, including the heavily criticized decision to shut down fan-favorite developer BioWare.

Alongside its ownership of several studios--like mobile game developer Scopely--and stakes in gaming publishers like Nintendo and Capcom, a Unity acquisition could result in Saudi Arabia having an even bigger influence in the industry. Unity is the second-most popular game-development engine after Epic's Unreal, and it has been used to power multiple hit games, from indie hits like Hollow Knight and Among Us to live-service juggernauts like Genshin Impact. Unity is also used for far more than just game development, as the software is a popular choice for car designers, filmmakers, and architects.

While it's far from a done deal, the rumors have already had a positive effect on Unity as its shares rose nearly 15% following Reuters' report. This also comes after several controversial years for the company, as Unity planned to introduce a new fee for game developers based on game installs back in 2023. The move resulted in massive backlash, and in the aftermath, John Riccitiello stepped down as Unity president and CEO.