- Ward oversaw round $13bn in investments from Savvy’s $38bn dedication, as of March 2026.
- Savvy’s $4.9bn Scopely acquisition has been certainly one of its greatest successes.
- Savvy’s esports investments have produced blended outcomes, together with layoffs and lowered funding plans.
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Savvy Games Group CEO Brian Ward is stepping down from his function after overseeing Saudi Arabia’s push to speculate billions of {dollars} into the worldwide video video games business.
As reported by Bloomberg, Ward shared his choice with employees on Tuesday, saying that “the fitting time” had come for brand spanking new management because the KSA gaming entity enters its subsequent interval of development.
Turqi Alnowaiser, deputy governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund (PIF) and head of its Worldwide Investments Division, will function interim appearing CEO of Savvy Video games Group.
Ward joined Savvy in 2021 and has since overseen the corporate’s growth by way of investments and acquisitions throughout video games and esports.
One of many greatest successes was Savvy’s $4.9 billion acquisition of Scopely, the cellular video games firm behind Monopoly Go, which has generated $6bn in income.
Main transition
The management change comes because the PIF simply completed its $55bn acquisition of Electronic Arts, one of many largest offers within the historical past of the online game business.
Beneath Ward, Savvy additionally acquired Pokémon Go from Niantic and invested in a variety of esports corporations. In January, the PIF transferred around $12bn worth of shares in gaming companies, together with Bandai Namco and Nintendo, to Savvy.
Savvy can be nonetheless ready to shut its $6bn acquisition of mobile games company Moonton Games. Ward mentioned in March that Savvy had invested round $13bn of its $38bn funding dedication.
We beforehand spoke to Ward in March about Savvy’s M&A plans, in addition to his ideas on China and rising affect from Jap markets.