Unity Has Held Takeover Talks at a Reported $25 Billion

Business

06 November 2026 12:59

Unity is on the verge of getting sold.

According to reports, a consortium including Silver Lake and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund approached Unity in recent weeks, discussing a valuation of around 25 billion dollars.

Reports state “Unity has been working with an investment bank to evaluate its options following the approach. No deal is certain, and the plan and terms may still change.”

The number has already moved

The reports is 25 billion figure was discussed before Unity’s Q3 results landed on the same day.

Those results were very good, first profitable quarter since the IPO, revenue up 32% to 622 million dollars, net income of 122 million, strategic revenue up 59%. Market capitalisation rose to roughly 21.5 billion, with shares climbing a further 4%.

25 billion now represents around a 16% premium than a week ago. EA shareholders received 25%.

Silver Lake is on both sides

Silver Lake already owns about 8% of Unity, they also invested 400 million dollars in May 2017 when the company was valued at 2.6 billion. It participated in the 2019 tender offer at a 6 billion valuation aswell.

Egon Durbana a key Silver Lake figure who spent fourteen years exploring an EA acquisition before completing it, sits on Unity’s board.

PIF has no reported stake yet.

What EA tells you

The EA deal was roughly 20 billion dollars of debt onto the company’s own balance sheet, up from 2.2 billion. Following the acquisition, EA shut down BioWare, cancelled the next Mass Effect and a planned Sims game, and cut around 400 roles, having separately outlined plans to save up to 700 million dollars on research and development.

Nobody thought the same would happen at Unity, and no deal exists yet. But a leveraged buyout works the same way whoever the target is, and Unity’s customers are developers rather than players.

Unity’s 2023 runtime fee attempt triggered an industry revolt, forced a retreat and cost John Riccitiello his job. The company has spent the years since rebuilding trust with the studios that depend on its engine.

More:Sony Raises Its Games Forecast While Console Shipments Fall

Tags: Unity

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