Savvy Games Group CEO Brian Ward steps down

• Ward oversaw around $13bn in investments from Savvy’s $38bn commitment, as of March 2026.
• Savvy’s $4.9bn Scopely acquisition has been one of its biggest successes.
• Savvy’s esports investments have produced mixed results, including layoffs and reduced investment plans.

Savvy Games Group CEO Brian Ward is stepping down from his role after overseeing Saudi Arabia’s push to invest billions of dollars into the global video games industry.

As reported by Bloomberg, Ward shared his decision with staff on Tuesday, saying that “the right time” had come for new leadership as the KSA gaming entity enters its next period of growth.

Turqi Alnowaiser, deputy governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and head of its International Investments Division, will serve as interim acting CEO of Savvy Games Group.

Ward joined Savvy in 2021 and has since overseen the company’s expansion through investments and acquisitions across games and esports. 

One of the biggest successes was Savvy’s $4.9 billion acquisition of Scopely, the mobile games company behind Monopoly Go, which has generated $6bn in revenue.

Major transition

The leadership change comes as the PIF just completed its $55bn acquisition of Electronic Arts, one of the largest deals in the history of the video game industry. 

Under Ward, Savvy also acquired Pokémon Go from Niantic and invested in a range of esports companies. In January, the PIF transferred around $12bn worth of shares in gaming companies, including Bandai Namco and Nintendo, to Savvy.

Savvy is also still waiting to close its $6bn acquisition of mobile games company Moonton Games. Ward said in March that Savvy had invested around $13bn of its $38bn investment commitment. 

We previously spoke to Ward in March about Savvy's M&A plans, as well as his thoughts on China and rising influence from Eastern markets.