ByteDance has agreed to sell gaming studio Moonton to Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group for approximately USD 6 billion, signaling a strategic shift away from gaming toward AI investments.
Moonton, the developer behind Mobile Legends: Bang Bang—with over 1.5 billion downloads—remains a strong asset, and its leadership team will continue under the new ownership. The deal reflects sustained growth since ByteDance acquired the studio in 2021 for around USD 4 billion.
For Savvy, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the acquisition strengthens its rapidly expanding global gaming portfolio, adding a proven mobile gaming success to its ecosystem of studios, publishers, and esports assets.
The move highlights a broader industry shift: while tech giants like ByteDance reallocate capital toward AI and emerging technologies, Gulf investors are aggressively scaling their presence in gaming and esports as part of long-term economic diversification strategies.
