Brian Ward asked to remain as Savvy Games Group advisor following departure

• Brian Ward has been asked to remain as an advisor to Savvy Games Group following his departure as CEO.
• Ward said Savvy is entering a new period of transformational growth after five years.
• He said he is excited to continue supporting Savvy’s mandate and Saudi Arabia’s national games strategy.

Former Savvy Games Group CEO Brian Ward has been asked to remain as an advisor to the Saudi gaming entity following his departure as CEO earlier this month. 

In a LinkedIn post, Ward said Savvy had reached a point where it was “no longer a startup” after five years and was entering “a new period of transformational growth”. 

“I am pleased to have been asked to remain as an advisor to Savvy,” Ward wrote. “I am excited to continue to support the company’s mandate and the national strategy for our sector.”

It remains unclear whether he has accepted the position. PocketGamer.biz has reached out to Savvy for confirmation. 

Advisory role

Ward became Savvy’s founding CEO in 2021 and spent five years leading the company as it expanded its global games and esports portfolio and worked to build Saudi Arabia’s domestic games ecosystem. 

His tenure included Savvy’s $4.9 billion acquisition of Scopely in 2023, alongside investments in esports and initiatives focused on talent development and game development in Saudi Arabia. 

Ward ended his post by thanking the partners, friends and colleagues who had contributed to what he described as an “extraordinary journey.” 

In our analysis of the Brian Ward era, we looked at what the Saudi gaming entity achieved as well as what didn't go as planned.