Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games Group purchases Mobile Legends: Bang Bang dev MOONTON for $6 billion

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang developer MOONTON has been sold from ByteDance to Savvy Games Group for $6 billion. 

A report by Bloomberg shared that the agreement has been signed but the transaction has not been fully finalized. MOONTON CEO Zhang Yunfan noted that management teams will remain and employees will be offered incentive programs. 

Why was MOONTON sold? 

In 2021, MOONTON was valued at $4 billion and turned down the deal. However, it seems that ByteDance has decided to go through with the sale after all a few years later. 

This is part of ByteDance's continued pivot from video games to AI and other technology. In 2023, another one of its gaming brands, Nuverse, experienced massive layoffs.

Part of the reason for a pivot away from games is China's continued strict regulations on online gaming. This has led to lower market share in video game companies in China. In 2025, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang generated $158.2 million, which is the lowest it has been in years. 

Savvy, which is backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), has been doing the opposite: it has continued to grow its footprint in esports and competitive gaming. In 2021, it invested $265 million into Hero Esports. It also bought Niantic's Pokémon GO last year for $3.5 billion. 

Now, with MLBB acquired, Savvy is looking to buy EA FC Sports' game developer, Electronic Arts, for $55 billion. 

Saudi Arabian companies have been heavily investing in the esports scene, including the continued expansion of the Esports World Cup and Nations Cup. With MLBB one of the most-viewed titles in the EWC, this move comes as no surprise.