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Savvy Games Group

Savvy Games Group Overview

Savvy Games Group was established by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to spearhead the growth of the video gaming industry in Saudi Arabia and to invest in foreign video game companies.

Some of Savvy Games’ investments so far include US gaming companies Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive and Activision Blizzard, Swedish company Embracer Group and a stake in Japan’s Nintendo.

In 2023 it bought US mobile video game developer and publisher Scopely for $4.9 billion.

Savvy Games plans to invest more than $37 billion in the gaming industry, create 39,000 jobs, establish 250 gaming companies and contribute SAR 50 billion ($13.3 billion) to Saudi Arabia’s GDP.

Savvy Games Group News

A Nintendo store in New York. Nintendo's profit dropped 60 percent year on year to $685 million from April to September 2024

PIF continues to trim stake in Japan’s Nintendo

The Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, has further reduced its holding Japanese gaming company Nintendo. In the latest move, PIF cut its holding to 5.26 percent from 6.3 percent, the second reduction this month. The fund lowered its stake to 6.3 percent from 7.5 percent on November 13. The news comes despite comments […]

The Nintendo Switch is the company's bestselling product, having sold 143.4 million units worldwide PIF

PIF cuts stake in Nintendo as Switch sales slow

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has trimmed its holding in Nintendo, as the Japanese gaming company suffered a drop in sales for its biggest product. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund reduced its stake to 7.54 percent from 8.58 percent, according to a Japanese regulatory filing on Tuesday. The news of the cut comes just […]

Clothing, Footwear, Shoe

PIF explores raising stakes in Japanese gaming companies 

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is exploring increasing its stakes in Japanese gaming companies to develop the kingdom as a global centre for gaming. “There are always opportunities,” Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud, vice chairman of Savvy Games Group told Kyodo News, a Japanese news agency. PIF now owns 8.6 percent of Nintendo, after […]

Saudi esports Savvy Games Video length: 05:07

Saudi Arabia plays the long game in a high-stakes market

Saudi Arabia has so far channeled $38 billion into the esports sector through its Public Investment Fund subsidiary Savvy Games Group. This includes high-profile acquisitions such as the $4.9 billion purchase of the Monopoly Go developer Scopely and the $1.5 billion buyout of ESL FaceIt Group, one of the world’s largest esports companies. Critics have […]

Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud Video length: 04:08

Prince Faisal: growth, not profit, is focus for esports

Cost-intensive spectator events are not going to be a “serious profit generator”, Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud told AGBI, as Saudi Arabia concluded the first Esports World Cup last week.  The event was watched by more than 500 million people but Prince Faisal, president of the Arab Esports Federation, said: “In esports, sustainability is […]

The flagship Magic Leap 2 headset uses in-house technology

Magic Leap seeks additional funds after big PIF investment

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has invested $750 million into technology and software developer Magic Leap since the beginning of 2023, strengthening its role as the majority owner. This year’s funding of $160 million builds on the sovereign wealth fund’s previous allocation of $590 million in 2023 facilitated through convertible debt arrangements, as detailed in […]

Boulevard City, Riyadh, where the first Esports World Cup will take place

Visas on offer as Esports World Cup hits Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is offering electronic visas for ticket holders for the first Esports World Cup, which starts next week at an entertainment district in Riyadh called Boulevard City. The event is being held over eight weeks from July 3. Around 1,500 players from 500 international clubs will compete for this year’s record total prize money […]

Savvy Games woman at computer

Saudi gaming company courts giants of Japan and South Korea

Japanese and South Korean gaming companies such as Nintendo and Kakao are being targeted by Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group, which wants them to set up in the kingdom to make products aimed at local consumers. Brian Ward, CEO of Savvy, told AGBI: “If locally made Arabic games tap into the ancient lore and history […]

Electronics, Headphones, Adult Foreign investment in esports has been slowing but experts remain upbeat about the future of the market esports game gaming Saudi Arabia

World Cup’s brimming prize pot to revive Saudi esports

Saudi Arabia will offer a record-breaking $60 million prize pool for its upcoming Esports World Cup, at a time when the kingdom is facing challenges attracting foreign investments to the sector. The amount of prize money for this summer’s event breaks the previous record of $45 million set by esports festival Gamer8 in 2023. Saudi […]

A rendering of the gaming district in Qiddiya, which will cover more than 500,000 sq m

Qiddiya to host first gaming district in Saudi Arabia

The Qiddiya giga-project, near Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, will host the first multi-use gaming and esports district in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom is striving to become a global gaming and sports centre by 2030. The upcoming gaming and esports district, which is claimed to be the first in the world, is part of the launch […]