Savvy Games acquires Scopely and Moonton for $11B+ combined, building mobile esports' largest portfolio
Summary
After Savvy Games acquires Scopely for $4.9B in 2023, the PIF-backed group is now adding Moonton for $6-7B - over $11B deployed in consecutive mobile gaming mega-deals
The two acquisitions target the same asset profile: high-MAU mobile titles with esports ecosystems and global reach
ByteDance exits gaming at a 50-75% premium on a studio it bought for ~$4B in 2021, executing a retreat announced in 2023
"ByteDance's first- and second-quarter 2025 revenues both topped those of Meta, making it the world's No. 1 social media company by sales"
01
Moonton valued at $6-7B, a 50-75% markup in under five years
ByteDance acquired Moonton in 2021 through Nuverse for approximately $4B
Key deal terms are agreed; signing expected within Q1 2026
Moonton runs 2,000+ employees across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Latin America, and China
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang reports 1.5B lifetime installs and 110M MAU
This is a global publishing infrastructure acquisition, not just an IP purchase
02
Combined $11B+ rollup creates unmatched mobile esports coverage
Scopely brings Western casual-to-mid-core franchises and proven live-ops capability
Moonton brings Southeast Asian and LATAM esports penetration with one of mobile's largest active player bases
Scopely separately acquired Niantic's game division including Pokemon Go for $3.5B in March 2026
Savvy now holds dominant positions across Western markets, Southeast Asia, and Latin America
03
ByteDance's exit reflects strategic focus, not distress
ByteDance announced gaming restructuring in 2023; Moonton sale executes that multi-year plan
Q1 and Q2 2025 revenues both exceeded Meta's, confirming gaming is a priority trade-off, not a forced sale
A Q3 2025 employee share buyback valued ByteDance at over $330B, up 5.5% from March
04
Sovereign capital is resetting mobile gaming M&A benchmarks
Moonton deal prices a single mobile studio at $6-7B based on MAU scale and esports infrastructure
No strategic acquirer or VC has matched this pricing tier across consecutive transactions
Tech conglomerates holding non-core gaming assets now have a high-value exit path that did not exist before Savvy's buying spree
Publishers with live-service titles and regional esports traction are direct comparable assets at $4B+ floor valuations
Events
Companies
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Locations
Middle East & North Africa
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