China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has cleared Savvy Games Group’s parent entity Saudi Electronic Games Holding Company’s planned acquisition of MOONTON Games, the developer of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB). This brings the reported $6 billion-plus deal with ByteDance one step closer to completion.
The approval, completed on Oct. 29 and published on Nov. 6, advances the acquisition that ByteDance agreed to in March 2026. Nearly eight months after the agreement was announced, the transaction has yet to close.
Key takeaways
- China’s SAMR approved Saudi Electronic Games Holding Company’s acquisition of MOONTON Games.
- Saudi Electronic Games Holding Company is a parent company of Savvy Games.
- The acquisition would bring the publisher of MLBB under the same Saudi-backed investment ecosystem as ESL FACEIT Group and the Esports World Cup.
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Savvy Games Group agreed to acquire Moonton for more than $6 billion
SAMR included the acquisition in its list of mergers approved without conditions between Oct. 26 and Nov. 1. The notice identifies Saudi Electronic Games Holding Company as the acquirer and Moonton Holdings Limited and Shanghai Moonton Technology Co., Ltd. as the target companies.
The notice does not mention Savvy Games Group by name. However, Saudi Electronic Games Holding Company is its parent entity, according to the Canadian trademark registration. Savvy is wholly owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Savvy confirmed in March that it had signed an agreement to acquire Moonton from ByteDance for a reported price exceeding $6 billion. Neither company has disclosed the exact purchase price. ByteDance acquired MOONTON Games back in 2021 for approximately $4 billion before revealing its plans to restructure its gaming business in 2023.
What Savvy Games Group’s acquisition of MLBB means for its esports scene
The acquisition could have broader implications for esports. This is considering the number of major gaming and tournament organizations connected to Saudi Arabia’s PIP.
Savvy owns ESL FACEIT Group. Meanwhile, a PIF-led consortium completed its $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts in August 2026. The Esports Foundation, which organizes the Esports World Cup (EWC), is also part of Saudi Arabia’s esports ecosystem.
MOONTON Games would add one of mobile esports’ biggest titles to these holdings. The company operates MLBB and organizes its professional leagues and annual M-series world championship.
MLBB sees around 40 to 50 million monthly players and over 1.5 billion installs worldwide. The game is also featured at the EWC, with the 2026 MLBB Mid Season Cup carrying a $3 million prize pool. It’s currently the biggest mobile esports title in Southeast Asia (SEA) and is slowly gaining global traction. Its largest markets include Indonesia and the Philippines.
It is still unclear whether MOONTON Games’ esports operations will remain independent or eventually coordinate more closely with ESL FACEIT Group.
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