After taking over EA, Saudi Arabia and their private equity cronies have reportedly held talks about buying Unity

A consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners has reportedly approached Unity about a potential takeover valued around $25 billion, according to Reuters. The group took over EA in a $55 billion leveraged buyout earlier this year.

Unity is working with an investment bank to evaluate options following the talks, with no deal currently set. Silver Lake is already among Unity's largest shareholders after investing up to $400 million in the engine maker in 2017. Silver Lake's managing director and CEO Egon Durban holds a seat on Unity's board and would likely need to step back from any takeover talks.

If the consortium pursues a leveraged buyout similar to the EA deal, staff cuts could follow. EA laid off approximately 400 people after the Saudi-backed takeover and shut down BioWare, cancelling a Sims project codenamed Project Lotus. BioWare's closure reportedly resulted from EA executives choosing to fund only Star Wars Battlefront 3 over Mass Effect 5.

Unity's recent financial results show year-on-year growth, partly driven by an AI-powered ad network called Vector.