Saudi-Backed Savvy Games Group In Talks For $7 Billion Mobile Gaming Deal
ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, is nearing a major divestment that could reshape the global mobile gaming landscape. The tech giant is reportedly in advanced discussions to sell its gaming subsidiary Moonton to Savvy Games Group in a deal valued between $6 billion and $7 billion.
If completed, the acquisition would hand Savvy control of Moonton, the Shanghai-based studio behind Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, one of the most successful mobile games ever released.
ByteDance Signals Exit From Gaming
According to a report published by Reuters, the potential sale marks a significant step in ByteDance’s gradual withdrawal from the gaming sector. The company acquired Moonton in 2021 for roughly $4 billion as part of an aggressive push into interactive entertainment, but has since scaled back those ambitions.
Moonton’s flagship title has become a cornerstone of mobile esports. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang boasts close to 110 million monthly active users and has surpassed 1.5 billion lifetime downloads. By viewership metrics, it is widely regarded as the most-watched mobile esports title globally, generating tens of millions of viewers annually across competitive tournaments.
Strategic Fit For Saudi Arabia’s Gaming Push
For Savvy Games Group, the deal would represent one of its largest acquisitions to date and further cement Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in gaming and esports. Backed by the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, Savvy has been steadily expanding its footprint across game development, publishing, and competitive gaming as part of a broader diversification strategy.
Industry analysts say Mobile Legends’ dominance in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and emerging esports markets makes it a particularly attractive asset, especially as mobile gaming continues to outpace console and PC growth in many regions.
While neither ByteDance nor Savvy Games Group has formally confirmed the transaction, a finalized agreement would rank among the largest deals in mobile gaming history — and underscore Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to become a global powerhouse in interactive entertainment.
