All The Gaming Companies Saudi Arabia Owns Or Has Invested In

Date: 2025-09-30 17:24:00

Saudi Arabia's government continues to grow its gaming and esports portfolioThe pending $55 billion acquisition of game-publishing giant EA by a consortium of investors, most notably Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), sent shockwaves through the industry. It is the second-biggest acquisition in the history of the games industry, and it is only the Saudi Arabian government's latest move in the video gaming space.Over the past several years, the PIF and its subsidiary Savvy Games Group have invested in or acquired gaming companies from different parts of the world, holding stakes in some of the leading publishers in the industry. The Saudi Arabian government has long been accused of human rights violations, and its investments in entertainment, tech, and sports have invited scrutiny. Below are the major gaming companies that Saudi Arabia owns or has a stake in. EABefore the sale of EA, PIF already had a 9.9% stake in the Battlefield and Madden company. PIF is part of the group of investors that will own 100% of EA, pending regulatory approval, with the group including private equity firm Silver Lake and Jared Kushner's investment firm Affinity Partners. ScopelySavvy Games acquired Monopoly Go creator Scopely in 2023 for $4.9 billion. Scopely itself then bought out Pokemon Go developer Niantic's gaming division in 2025 for $3.5 billion. SNKSaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, through his foundation, acquired a 96% stake in Fatal Fury publisher SNK in 2022, initially having a 33% stake in the company in 2020. NintendoSaudi Arabia's stake in Nintendo has fluctuated over the years, with the PIF owning roughly 5% of the company in 2022. The PIF became the Japanese company's biggest outside stakeholder in 2023, with an 8.26% investment. Take-TwoIn 2021, the PIF held 3.5% of Take-Two, which includes subsidiaries Rockstar, 2K, and Zynga. Activision BlizzardThe PIF acquired 14 million shares of Activision Blizzard, or about 2% of the company, in 2021, for $1.4 billion. CapcomSaudi Arabia's PIF acquired 5% stakes in Monster Hunter and Resident Evil publisher Capcom in 2022. NexonThe PIF also bought a 5% stake in The First Descendant company Nexon, which is based in South Korea, in 2022. Embracer GroupSavvy Games Group owns nearly 8% of Embracer Group's capital and more than 5% of the company's voting power after a $1 billion investment in 2022. Esports World CupThe Saudi government-funded Esports World Cup held its inaugural tournament in Riyadh. The tournament's official partners include Sony and Amazon, and games played at the tournament include Fortnite, Call of Duty, and League of Legends. Steer StudiosSavvy Games Group owns the Riyadh-based developer Steer Studios, which so far has only released the mobile game Grunt Rush.

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