Savvy Games Group, owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), has signed a definitive agreement with ByteDance to acquire MOONTON Games, the developer and publisher behind the global hit Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB).

In contact with sources with knowledge of the transaction, The Esports Radar confirmed reports first published by Bloomberg and Nikkei Asia. The purchase price is confirmed to be more than $6 billion, making it one of the largest acquisitions in the history of the mobile gaming and esports sectors.

Following the signing of a Share Purchase Agreement, the deal is currently subject to standard regulatory approvals. Savvy and ByteDance expect to complete the acquisition over the coming months.

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Established in 2014, MOONTON has grown into a titan of the mobile MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) genre. Its flagship title, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, boasts 1.5 billion+ total installations, 110 million+ monthly active users, status as a top 10 mobile game in multiple global markets, and is one of the most-watched esports ecosystems globally, particularly in Southeast Asia.

Following the close of the transaction, The Esports Radar confirms Zhang Yunfan will remain as the CEO of MOONTON, and the existing management team will stay in place to ensure operational continuity for its 2,000+ employees.

This $6 billion move represents a massive escalation in Savvy’s strategy to become a global leader in games and esports. While Savvy already owns the ESL FACEIT Group, this deal specifically targets the high-growth Asian market and secures ownership of an important asset for the Esports World Cup (EWC) and Esports Nations Cup (ENC) initiatives, operated by also PIF-backed Esports World Cup Foundation: MLBB was the only title to feature a women’s competition in EWC and became the most-watched title of the event.

The MOONTON acquisition follows Savvy’s 30% investment into China-based Hero Esports in 2023, signaling an effort to control the infrastructure and the intellectual property (IP) of the most popular competitive titles in the East.

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