ByteDance, the parent company of the sensational (and at times, controversial) social video app, TikTok, is preparing to make one hell of a transaction. In recent reports, it was claimed that the final stages of selling Moonton to Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group were closing in.
The deal, worth as much as $7 billion, would see Savvy acquire one of the biggest mobile games in the business, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. It’s a billion-dollar game with almost 110 million monthly users, and by viewership, it’s the number one mobile esports game ever made.
Is Savvy Games Group Buying Moonton?
Per a recent report from Reuters, ByteDance is preparing to sell Moonton for something between $6 billion and $7 billion, and the buyer is none other than Savvy Games Group. Moonton, which is based in Shanghai, is responsible for the creation of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, a free-to-play MOBA that has been around for almost a decade.
The report, published on February 13th by Reuters, suggests that the deal would contribute to ByteDance’s major retreat from the gaming space. It was back in 2021 that ByteDance acquired Moonton, paying around $4 billion.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is said to have around 110 million monthly active users and, in the last decade, has racked up 1.5 billion unique installations. It’s one of the highest-earning mobile games ever made, and it’s the bedrock of a mobile esports ecosystem that draws in tens of millions of viewers a year.
With Saudi Arabia getting deeper into both the gaming and esports industries, the deal makes perfect sense, especially with the recent growth of the mobile esports space.
Do you see Savvy parting ways with $7 billion to secure Moonton? Let us know what you’re thinking on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Kingdom Come’s upgrade is finally here
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
They should buy Capcom.
It’s official now