Report: ByteDance is exploring the sale of Moonton to Savvy Games Group

• Sources say negotiations are ongoing and may not result in a deal.
• Savvy is backed by Saudi Arabia’s PIF as part of the kingdom’s gaming strategy.
• The PIF recently proposed a $55bn takeover of Electronic Arts.

TiKTok parent company ByteDance is in talks to sell its games studio Moonton to Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games Group. 

As reported by Bloomberg, the talks revive ByteDance’s previously shelved plan to offload the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang developer it acquired in 2021 at a valuation of about $4 billion.

Negotiations are still underway and may not lead to a deal, according to insiders who requested anonymity. 

Founded in 2021, Savvy is owned by the KSA's Public Investment Fund (PIF) as part of the country's push to make the Kingdom a global games hub. The PIF, together with Silver Lake and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, recently proposed to acquire Electronic Arts for about $55bn.

Mutual constraints 

Despite its bold acquisition goals, the PIF may be short on fresh deployable capital as much of its nearly $1 trillion in assets is locked in illiquid projects like Neom and luxury resorts, limiting its ability to fund new ventures. 

ByteDance, on the other hand, is under pressure to reduce its ownership of TikTok’s US operations. The company is preparing to sell about 80% of TikTok’s US assets to a mix of American and international investors to comply with a 2024 national security law. 

President Donald Trump has set a late January 2026 deadline for the divestment, and his order requires TikTok’s algorithm to be retrained, monitored by US security partners, and overseen by a new joint venture.

ByteDance has also had to relinquish publishing rights of games like Mobile Legends and Marvel Snap in the US.