Silver Lake and PIF Don't Stop: After EA, They Also Want Unity

Saudi Arabia could further strengthen its presence in the video game sector. In recent years, the Middle Eastern country has invested significant sums to secure equity stakes in some of the largest companies in the sector, if not to acquire them outright, as happened in the case of Electronic Arts. The home of EA Sports FC and Battlefield was taken over by a consortium that also included the US investment fund Silver Lake, which could soon be back in action.

Will Unity become a Saudi company?

As reported by Reuters, PIF (Public Investment Fund, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund) and Silver Lake have been exploring the possibility of an acquisition of Unity in recent weeks. This company develops the primary graphics engine in the video game industry: according to the most recent estimates, approximately one in two games uses it. You may have heard of Unity in relation to the controversy over the Runtime Fee, which we discussed in this article.

According to Reuters, the acquiring consortium valued Unity at approximately 25 billion dollars, a sum that, however, was calculated before the latest financial report: Unity's stock is on the rise, which could lead to an upward revision of the consortium's estimate. Reuters' information comes from confidential sources, who for obvious reasons prefer to remain anonymous; those directly involved have not commented.