It has been revealed that the Savvy Games Group, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s enormously valuable Public Investment Fund, plans to acquire mobile games developer, Scopely, in a massive $4.9 billion deal.
Recently, it was stressed that the Saudi Arabian government wants to make the nation a gaming and esports hub, and that begins with the acquisition of or investment in top-tier gaming publishers, developers, and esports organisations. That’s why, in a deal worth almost $5 billion, Savvy will pick up Scopely.
It all begins here.
Savvy Games Group x Scopely
Scopely is an accomplished developer but has focused exclusively on mobile gaming since its birth as a company. In recent days, we covered the news that Saudi Arabia’s government wants to build a gaming hub in the nation – focusing on Riyadh – and it was explained that the creation or acquisition of mobile games was key to the success of that plan.
And, that plan would be pioneered – or spearheaded – by Savvy Games Group, a firm powered by the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund and reportedly sitting on a whopping $13 billion that it can use for investments.
Now, with the acquisition of Scopely going public, it seems that the slew of partnerships and purchases is about to kick off.
Scopely has some sizeable credits to its name in the mobile space. Here are some of the firm’s most popular mobile games:
- WWE Champions
- Scrabble Go
- The Walking Dead: Road to Survival
- Marvel Strike Force
- Star Trek Fleet Command
- Yahtzee with Buddies
- Stumble Guys
It’s a prestigious enough developer, and that’s why it’s worth almost $5 billion. To put that into perspective, when Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media in 2021, it came with a $7.5 billion price tag, and that included some enormous labels, such as Bethesda Game Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, and Tango Gameworks.
In a statement, Brian Ward, the CEO of the Savvy Games Group, spoke highly of this acquisition:
Scopely is one of the fastest-growing games companies today, and we have long admired their ability to build loyal, engaged player communities … Scopely has proven to be an exceptional leader and will continue to revolutionize the future of games for years to come.
Under Savvy’s ownership, Scopely will remain an autonomous developer, but there are plans that, with the newfound financial backing of the Saudi Arabian government, Scopely ‘will continue to build one of the world’s most diversified mobile-first games companies.’
Watch this space, I guess?
For more Insider Gaming news, check out our coverage of the PC requirements for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
