The Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia's sovereign fund, is weighing combining Electronic Arts with Savvy Games Group into a single company, according to information published by Bloomberg on Thursday (10). No final decision has been made, and the discussions are still at a preliminary stage.
A potential deal would bring together some of the world's biggest gaming franchises. EA controls series such as EA Sports FC, Battlefield, and The Sims, while Savvy's portfolio includes, through Scopely, games such as Monopoly GO! and Pokémon GO.
The move comes just over a month after the completion of the purchase of Electronic Arts by a consortium formed by PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. The transaction, completed on August 4, valued the company at approximately US$ 55 billion and delisted its shares.
Deal depends on the purchase of Moonton
A merger between EA and Savvy is not expected to move forward before the completion of the purchase of Moonton, developer of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, by Savvy. The deal was announced in March and values the Chinese company at about US$ 6 billion, according to people familiar with the transaction.
The combination could also face scrutiny from competition authorities due to the size of the combined assets. EA and Savvy did not immediately comment on the information, while PIF declined to comment to Reuters.
Savvy was created by PIF in 2021 as the fund's main vehicle for investments in games and esports. In addition to Scopely, the group controls ESL FACEIT Group and has been expanding its global presence through acquisitions and investments in the sector.
