Mobile Legends: ByteDance May Hand Moonton to Saudi Savvy Games

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang might be getting another new parent. TikTok owner ByteDance is reportedly in talks to sell Shanghai Moonton Technology, the studio behind the game, to Saudi Arabia backed Savvy Games Group. Nothing is signed yet, but the direction is clear: China’s short video giant wants out, and Saudi money wants in.

For a game that built its success in Southeast Asia through small local tournaments, meme-worthy skins, and endless grind nights in cafes, that is a huge shift in who ultimately calls the shots.

What We Know About the ByteDance–Savvy Moonton Talks

According to a recent Bloomberg report, ByteDance has revived efforts to sell Moonton and is now in active talks with Savvy Games Group. The report says a deal is not guaranteed, but both sides are exploring terms.

ByteDance bought Moonton in 2021 in a deal that reportedly valued the studio at around $4 billion. At the time, the move looked like a clear push to challenge Tencent in mobile games and to build a lineup of hits around Nuverse, ByteDance’s gaming arm.

That push never really turned into a stable long term strategy. By late 2023 and early 2024, multiple reports already said ByteDance was quietly shopping Moonton and shutting down or scaling back other gaming projects so it could focus on its core apps and advertising business instead.

Savvy Games Group, on the other hand, has been doing the opposite. Backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, it has spent the last few years buying into esports infrastructure and mobile hits, including owning Scopely and ESL FACEIT Group. Adding Moonton would fit the pattern: more live service games, more tournaments, more global reach.

So far, there is no public detail on valuation, timelines, or how Moonton’s leadership would be structured under Savvy. The only solid thing we have is that ByteDance is willing to talk and Savvy is interested, which already tells you a lot about where each company wants to be in the next few years.

How a Savvy Games Takeover Could Change Mobile Legends

For everyday Mobile Legends players, the first question is simple: what actually changes if Savvy takes over?

Structurally, Moonton would move from being a Chinese owned studio under ByteDance to being part of a Saudi controlled gaming group based in Riyadh. That shift matters for where decisions get made, which regions get priority, and how the game is used in Saudi Arabia’s push to become a global esports hub.

Savvy already controls ESL FACEIT, runs big arena events in Riyadh, and has shown that it is willing to pour money into prize pools and stadium level productions. Mobile Legends has been one of the most watched titles at recent Saudi esports events, so putting the publisher and the tournament ecosystem under the same umbrella would tighten that loop.

On paper, that could mean even bigger stages for MPL, more cross regional events, and stronger support for leagues in the Middle East alongside Southeast Asia. Some fans on Reddit are already hoping for exactly that: more money in the ecosystem, better production, and maybe less chaos around sponsorships and scheduling.

The worries are different but just as real. Other players are uneasy with another major game falling under the control of a state backed fund, especially one that has been criticized over human rights and heavy sports branding. There are also fears about more aggressive monetization, heavier crossover pushes with other mobile titles in the Savvy orbit, or attention being pulled away from core regions if management decides to chase new markets.

None of those outcomes are guaranteed, but they are the questions that will hang over Mobile Legends if this moves from talks to a signed deal.

Why ByteDance Might Be Ready To Let Go of Moonton

From ByteDance’s side, the logic is easier to understand the more you zoom out.

The company spent the last couple of years unwinding much of its games strategy. It stopped work on unannounced titles, trimmed gaming staff, and folded parts of its games business as regulators and politicians in multiple countries went hard after TikTok. Owning a big global MOBA, on top of everything else, may simply no longer feel worth the distraction.

Moonton also never quite became the multi game powerhouse ByteDance hoped for. Mobile Legends remains massive in Southeast Asia and parts of the Middle East, but follow up titles have not reached the same scale. Community analysis has long argued that ByteDance overpaid for Moonton, and that the studio’s revenue profile did not match the original price tag.

At the same time, Saudi Arabia is still in spending mode for games. Savvy has a long term mandate and a clear goal: turn the kingdom into a central node for gaming and esports. To do that, owning a top tier mobile MOBA with a built in SEA fanbase is a very direct shortcut.

Put together, you get a clean story. ByteDance reduces exposure to gaming and raises cash for its core platforms. Savvy picks up another major live service brand and adds it to a growing collection of mobile hits and esports properties.

For Mobile Legends players, nothing changes today. Servers are still online, skins are still in the shop, and ranked is still toxic at 2 a.m. But if this deal closes, the game’s future will be decided in Riyadh instead of Shanghai, and that alone is enough reason to pay attention to what happens next.