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Marvel Strike Force, Stumble Guys, and GSN: What has Savvy Games Group bought?

Savvy Games Group’s acquisition of Scopely means the acquisition of several subsidiaries and properties

Marvel Strike Force, Stumble Guys, and GSN: What has Savvy Games Group bought?

Savvy Games Group’s acquisition of mobile gaming giant Scopely has sent waves through the industry.

Savvy has become the centrepiece of Saudi Arabia’s expansion into the games space, and Scopely is a well-known name in the mobile gaming industry. But what has Savvy acquired aside from Scopely itself with the deal?

Scopely’s strength as a company comes from its catalogue of subsidiaries and it’s partnership deals with established IPs. The company has brought some of the world’s biggest and most famous brands to mobile devices, which likely made it a prime acquisition target as a part of Savvy - and Saudi Arabia’s - long-term goals to become a global hub for the mobile games industry.

Saudi Arabia has been identified as the hub of the MENA region, and one of its most important markets, actively pursuing mobile gaming acquisitions as part of its plans to diversify its economy away from oil. Gaming is the most profitable sector of the games industry, with mobile gaming reigning supreme in terms of overall revenue within the sector itself.

Discussing the acquisition, Savvy Games Group CEO Brian Ward said “Scopely is one of the fastest-growing games companies today, and we have long admired their ability to build loyal, engaged player communities. At Savvy Games Group, our mission is to invest in – and grow – the global games community by inviting the best minds to join us. Under Walter and Javier’s stewardship, Scopely has proven to be an exceptional leader and will continue to revolutionise the future of games for years to come.

“We look forward to further accelerating the company’s ambitions and working together with their talented team of developers, designers, and publishers to create innovative and exciting new products for the gaming community across the world.”

So what exactly have Savvy bought? We’ve broken down some of Scopely’s biggest games and subsidiaries to clarify why this deal has captured the industry’s attention.


Click here to view the list »
  • 1 Marvel Strike Force

    Marvel Strike Force logo

    One of Scopely’s biggest games, Marvel Strike Force leverages the success of the Marvel Universe, with players choosing their team from a massive 237 characters to fight in turn-based battles.

    Although the success of Marvel Strike Force has arguably been eclipsed by Marvel Snap and Marvel: Contest of Champions, the latter of which has earned more than a billion dollars in lifetime sales, it still remains a massive success in its own right, earning more than $150 million in its first year alone.

    Regardless of its success, the fact remains that Marvel is one of the world’s biggest and most profitable entertainment brands with films, comics, merchandise, theme park attractions, and games across platforms. While Marvel Strike Force is arguably small potatoes compared to some other games in the universe, the fact remains that this game alone could significantly boost Savvy’s profile on the world stage.


  • 2 Stumble Guys

    Stumble Guys logo

    Stumble Guys may have received some criticism for its similarities to Fall Guys, but it’s quickly become a force to be reckoned with in its own right, earning almost half a million dollars in revenue by October 2022.

    Scopely acquired Stumble Guys from developer Kitka Games in September 2022 as part of its long-term growth plans, while opening the studio up to new demographics and genres. Notably, the game’s success and quick development time all but killed attempts to bring Fall Guys to mobile devices, at least temporarily.


  • 3 Star Trek: Fleet Command

    Star Trek: Fleet Command logo

    Star Trek has been one of the most recognisable, and esteemed, science fiction IPs in the world, with over half a century of stories to draw from. The franchise consists of eleven different television series’ - four of which are currently airing - and thirteen films, as well as comics, video games, novels, and conventions. The franchise is arguably responsible for fandom as we know it, and as such its impact on the public consciousness simply can’t be underestimated.

    Fleet Command, a strategy title in the same universe as the recent film reboots - the so called Kelvin timeline - quickly proved to be a massive success for Digit Games (More on them later), leading to an acquisition of both the game and its developer by Scopely. The game earned more than $100 million in revenue in its first eight months, quickly becoming Scopely’s fastest-growing game up until that point.


  • 4 The Walking Dead: Road to Survival

    The Walking Dead: Road to Survival logo

    The Walking Dead is arguably one of the biggest franchises of the 21st century. While the series itself finished earlier this year, the franchise itself still has some life, with three spin-off series in the works.

    Since its launch, Road to Survival has gone on to become a massive success, with over $200 million in lifetime revenue and 50 million downloads, according to Appmagic. The game features characters and events from across the whole franchise, including the novels and Telltale Game series, giving players a new view of the universe they may otherwise be unfamiliar with and the chance to reacquaint themselves with the parts they already love.


  • 5 WWE Champions

    WWE Champions logo

    WWE is the world’s biggest wrestling federation, and has both captured the attention of gaming partners and launched the careers of Hollywood stars such as John Cena and Dwayne Johnson.

    The game puts a spin on both the Match 3 and RPG formats, with players solving puzzles to progress in an on-screen wrestling match, with matches taking the place of traditional moves. This unique but simple mechanic has seen the game exceed $200 million in lifetime revenue and 20 million downloads, according to Appmagic data.

    Interestingly, the WWE itself already has a strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia’s General Sports Authority, which includes the hosting of pay-per-view and large-scale events in the country. As such, it’s clear that there’s a big appetite for WWE related content throughout Saudi Arabia, which Savvy may be hope to capitalise on with the acquisition. Notably, reports circulated last month that the PIF was interested in buying the WWE before its acquisition by UFC parent company Endeavor.


  • 6 DIGIT Games Studios

    DIGIT Games Studios logo

    DIGIT Game Studios sparked Scopely’s interest long before its acquisition in 2019. The Dublin-based developer received its first investment from Scopely in 2015 for the development of strategy games.

    The investment clearly paid dividends, resulting in the hit Star Trek: Fleet Command, which fit neatly into Scopely’s established catalogue, possibly playing a part in their decision to acquire the company in 2019.

    Commenting on the acquisition, Scopely chief revenue officer Tim O’Brien said “Game, tech and publishing expertise across both teams resulted in quality execution and an experience players are enjoying and engaging with consistently. It’s exciting to see the game already garnering industry awards, showcasing that our deep collaboration has been a great mix for Fleet Command.

    “We’ve achieved some major milestones the last few months and look forward to further scaling the Scopely business with Digit, who will be a fantastic addition to our growing global team.”


  • 7 PierPlay

    PierPlay logo

    It’s easy to forget that board games are still a thriving industry in their own right, and PierPlay managed to bring one of the world’s most popular board games, Scrabble, to mobile devices with Scrabble Go. Released in March 2020, the game enjoyed the best ever launch for a word game up to that date, with over 2.5 daily active users and a session length in excess of 100 minutes just a month later.

    The game was developed in partnership with Scopely, who made the decision to acquire PierPlay in April 2020 for an undisclosed sum.

    "This acquisition is the culmination of an outstanding long-term partnership that we believe will continue to flourish as we welcome PierPlay as a Scopely Studio and build more ambitious projects together. We are thrilled to have this impressive group of game makers part of our team," said CRO Tim O’Brien.


  • 8 GSN Games

    GSN Games logo

    Scopely acquired GSN Games from Sony Pictures Entertainment for $1 billion in 2021, expanding its interests into the world of social casino and web games, with Sony remaining as a minority investor. This acquisition helped Scopely exceed a market value of $5 billion.

    Discussing the deal, CEO Mark Feldman said: "Over the past four years, and in the teeth of a global pandemic, GSN Games has undertaken huge tech and product improvements to deliver on our commitment to providing our players with phenomenal game experiences.

    "I am delighted that GSN Games will now be part of Scopely’s dynamic global mobile games business.”


Staff Writer

Lewis Rees is a journalist, author, and escape room enthusiast based in South Wales. He got his degree in Film and Video from the University of Glamorgan. He's been a gamer all his life.