The Chinese authorities have approved a deal between Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games Group and Moonton
The State Administration for Market Regulation of China (SAMR) has permitted Savvy Games Group to acquire the developers of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Apparently, they concluded that the deal would not harm competition in the country's gaming market.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
As noted by PocketGamer, the agency completed its antitrust review on October 29 but announced it only in November.
SAMR did not impose any additional conditions on Savvy Games Group and Moonton.
Recall, rumors about negotiations between Savvy Games Group and ByteDance — the current owner of Moonton — emerged a year ago. In March 2026, the parties officially reached an agreement, but no further progress was made. Now, there is an opportunity to conclude the deal.
The exact amount Savvy Games Group agreed to pay ByteDance for Moonton is not known for certain. According to Bloomberg sources, the figure is around $6 billion, while ByteDance itself purchased the developers of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang for $4 billion in 2021.
Savvy Games Group is owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF). In August of this year, PIF, along with Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, completed the purchase of Electronic Arts for $55 billion. Additionally, it is rumored that PIF and Silver Lake are considering acquiring Unity for $25 billion.