Saudi Arabia is continuing its aggressive push into the global gaming industry. Savvy Games Group, the Saudi gaming investment vehicle, is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire Moonton, the Shanghai-based gaming subsidiary of ByteDance, for between $6 billion and $7 billion. The deal would follow a series of major acquisitions that have placed Saudi Arabia among the most powerful forces in the games business.
According to a Reuters report, the broad terms of the transaction between ByteDance and Savvy Games Group have already been agreed upon. The official announcement could come as early as March, making this one of the faster-moving deals in recent gaming industry history. ByteDance originally purchased Moonton back in 2021 for $4 billion, meaning Savvy Games Group is reportedly prepared to pay well over 50 percent more than that original price just a few years later.
What Does Moonton Actually Make?
Moonton is a Shanghai-based subsidiary known primarily for its 2016 mobile MOBA, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. The game has been downloaded over a billion times since its release, making it one of the most-installed mobile titles in the world. Beyond its flagship title, Moonton has continued to expand its game portfolio. Last year the studio released the auto battler Magic Chess: Go Go, the RPG Silver and Blood, and the cooperative vertical shooter Acecraft.
A Top-10 Gaming Acquisition
If the deal closes at the reported $6 billion to $7 billion range, the Moonton acquisition would rank among the top 10 biggest gaming acquisitions in history. It would not be the first time Savvy Games Group has made a headline purchase in the mobile space. The group acquired Monopoly Go developer Scopely in 2023 for $4.9 billion, and in 2025 picked up Pokemon Go creator Niantic for $3.5 billion.
The Much Larger EA Deal Still in Progress
The potential Moonton deal, while significant, is still considerably smaller than Savvy Games Group’s most ambitious move to date. The group is also in the process of acquiring Electronic Arts in a $55 billion deal that would take the Madden and Sims publisher private. EA’s board of directors and shareholders have already overwhelmingly approved that agreement, but the deal is not expected to be finalized until sometime over the summer.
The EA acquisition has drawn scrutiny from several directions. Unions and Democrats in Congress have called for investigations and regulatory due diligence before one of the largest American gaming companies is sold to a foreign government. Adding a layer of political complexity to the situation, Saudi Arabia reportedly has a direct line to the White House through President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Kushner reportedly helped broker the EA deal and holds a personal stake in it through his own Saudi-backed investment group, which observers have noted makes regulatory intervention appear unlikely.
Saudi Arabia’s Growing Gaming Empire
The combination of the Moonton talks, the completed Scopely and Niantic acquisitions, and the pending EA deal paints a clear picture of Saudi Arabia’s ambitions in the gaming sector. Through Savvy Games Group, the kingdom has systematically targeted major mobile gaming franchises and live-service publishers, building a portfolio that now includes some of the most-played titles and studios in the world.
None of the parties involved have publicly confirmed the Moonton transaction at this stage.