• Saudi’s PIF is transferring USD 12B in global gaming shares, including Nintendo and Bandai Namco, to Savvy Games Group.
• After the transfer, Savvy will hold roughly 10% stakes in major publishers including Square Enix, Nexon, NCSoft, and Koei Tecmo.
• Backed by PIF, Savvy has spent billions on Scopely and Niantic while maintaining a hands-off investment approach.

Savvy

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is transferring USD 12 billion worth of gaming company shares to its subsidiary Savvy Games Group (SSG). This includes shares from firms such as Nintendo Co. and Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. 

According to Bloomberg, once the transfers are complete, Savvy will own about 10% of firms such as Koei Tecmo Holdings Inc., NCSoft Corp., Nexon Co., and Square Enix Holdings Co.

Gaming

Launched in 2022 by the PIF,  Savvy Games Group (SSG) is a gaming and e-sports company.  In 2023, PIF-backed Savvy Games acquired Monopoly Go developer Scopely for USD 4.9 billion. In 2025, it followed with a USD 3.5 billion acquisition of Niantic Labs’ gaming division, the developer of Pokémon Go.

The PIF has already transferred its 11 million shares of  Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., according to a regulatory filing from late December. Similar to its parent company, SSG will take on a hands-off approach with no plan to become an active investor.

 PIF views the gaming sector as cultural infrastructure vital for global influence like sports and film. Moreover, gaming has become a key pillar of Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification vision.

This move seeks to accelerate Saudi’s push to position itself as a global hub in entertainment and digital culture. This is also in alignment with the Kingdom’s aim to foster its gaming and interactive gaming sectors. Additionally, it is in step with Vision 2030’s push to diversify the economy.