Bigger tournaments for MLBB? North American domination? Perhaps pricier skins?
Bytedance has confirmed to sell Moonton, popularly known for its MOBA title Mobile Legends: Bang Bang to Savvy Games, which is owned by the government-funded Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, for USD 6 billion. The Public Investment Fund refers to a group of investors affiliated with Saudi Arabia and two of these investors Silver Lake and Affinity Partners announced its intent to acquire Electronic Arts at 100% stake.
The acquisition was first reported by Japanese news outlet Nikkei, which told of the two companies’ agreement. Multiple sources also said that this deal would have been finalized “within this quarter”.
ByteDance acquired Moonton in 2021 for $4 billion in hopes it could pivot the gaming industry worldwide, starting with Mobile Legends. When these plans fell through, the company was actively looking for a buyer. Savvy Games just happened to be the perfect buyer.
Saudi Arabia announced big plans for the gaming and e-sports industry, and Mobile Legends is just one to add to its portfolio. What the acquisition means to players is that the game could finally penetrate the North American as intended, and globally popular E-sports teams might be more interested to join, and not just in Southeast Asia where the game is hugely popular.
Savvy Games also owns the casual gaming company Scopely, known for developing titles like Monopoly Go. The company also has stakes to other big gaming companies like Nexon (known for Blue Archive), Nintendo, Capcom, and Take Two. Take Two owns Rockstar Games and serves as the studio’s primary publisher.
Source: Inquirer, Games Industry Biz, Reuters, Yugatech, Esports Charts
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