Report: Saudi Arabia Could Combine EA and Savvy Games in Major Industry Reshuffle

Electronic Arts could become part of a much larger Saudi Arabia-backed games group under an early proposal that would merge the publisher with Savvy Games Group. The possible restructuring, reported by Bloomberg, follows the consortium-led deal that took EA private and closed on August 4. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund holds a supermajority position in that investor group.

No final plan has been approved, and the prospective combination remains subject to substantial business and regulatory hurdles. Representatives for EA and the Public Investment Fund declined to comment on the report. Even so, the idea signals the scale of Saudi Arabia's ambitions in games: rather than owning several major companies separately, it may seek to place a large publisher, mobile-game businesses, and esports operations under a more unified corporate structure.

For players, developers, and the wider games business, the potential significance is difficult to overstate. EA publishes some of the industry's most recognizable sports series and operates studios across console, PC, and mobile development. Savvy, meanwhile, has rapidly built a portfolio that includes mobile specialist Scopely and esports business ESL FACEIT Group. A merger would create a group with reach across many of the industry's largest markets.

An Early Proposal, Not a Settled Deal

The reported plan is still in its preliminary stages. A decision is not expected before Savvy completes its proposed $6 billion acquisition of Chinese developer Moonton, the studio best known for Mobile Legends. That transaction is itself a major part of Savvy's expansion, and its completion could shape the timing, structure, and regulatory outlook of any effort to bring EA into the group.

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That uncertainty matters. Corporate mergers of this scale are often altered significantly during negotiations, while some never proceed beyond internal planning. Any EA-Savvy combination would also be likely to attract close attention from regulators, especially because the businesses involved would collectively have substantial positions in game publishing, mobile games, live-service operations, advertising, esports, and international distribution.

The financial backdrop is similarly enormous. EA was taken private in a $55 billion deal, while Savvy has received $38 billion to pursue investments and acquisitions across gaming. Combining a recently acquired publisher of EA's size with a group that already controls major mobile and esports properties would represent one of the most consequential consolidations the games sector has seen.

What Savvy Already Owns

Savvy Games Group was established by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund in 2021. Its publicly stated objective is to achieve a leadership position in the global games industry by 2030. In only a few years, it has moved from being an investment vehicle into a company with ownership stakes and acquisitions spanning several parts of the market.

Scopely is central to that strategy. The company is a major mobile publisher whose portfolio includes MONOPOLY GO! and Pokémon GO. Its experience operating high-profile, long-running mobile games could complement EA's own mobile efforts, as well as its much broader console and PC publishing business.

ESL FACEIT Group adds another dimension. The organization has a major role in esports competition and related services, giving Savvy a foothold in organized play that is distinct from conventional game development and publishing. Moonton would add further mobile-game expertise and a major presence in Asia if the planned acquisition closes.

• EA: A global publisher with sports, action, racing, role-playing, and live-service franchises across PC, consoles, and mobile.
• Scopely: A mobile-focused publisher with large-scale live operations and major mainstream game brands.
• ESL FACEIT Group: A significant esports and competitive-gaming business.
• Moonton: The developer of Mobile Legends, pending completion of Savvy's proposed acquisition.

Placed together, those assets would not simply make Savvy bigger. They would give it an unusually wide commercial footprint: big-budget console and PC releases, recurring sports franchises, mobile hits, esports infrastructure, and a presence across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Why EA Changes the Equation

EA is not a mobile-only publisher, even if a possible merger with Savvy would place it beside mobile-heavy businesses. The company's identity has long been tied to annual sports releases, including EA Sports FC, Madden NFL, NHL, F1, and UFC, as well as franchises and studios serving PC and console audiences. It also has extensive experience with online services, game subscriptions, digital storefronts, licensed properties, and seasonal content models.

That makes EA a particularly valuable addition to a group seeking broad industry influence rather than strength in only one category. Savvy could gain access to globally recognized brands and studios, while EA could potentially receive additional capital and connections to a broader network of mobile and esports operations. Whether such theoretical benefits would translate into changes players can see is another question entirely.

Corporate combinations often promise shared expertise and more efficient development pipelines. In practice, they can also lead to restructuring, altered publishing priorities, duplicated departments being cut, or pressure to prioritize projects with the clearest financial upside. Since neither EA nor the Public Investment Fund has confirmed a merger plan, it is too soon to identify how individual teams, franchises, or future releases would be affected.

Staff Concerns May Intensify

The EA takeover has already prompted concern among employees about the company's long-term direction and the possibility of job losses. EA leadership has said that its creative freedom and player-first values will remain intact. However, a potential integration into Savvy would likely renew questions about who controls greenlighting decisions, what kinds of games receive investment, and how much autonomy EA's studios would retain.

Some EA staff have expressed fears that projects could be judged against the preferences of Saudi Arabia's government, including concerns that games not aligned with those preferences may struggle to secure approval. Those anxieties sit alongside more conventional worries associated with any large acquisition: layoffs, studio consolidation, new performance targets, and the cancellation of projects that no longer fit a revised strategy.

There is no confirmed evidence that an EA-Savvy merger would impose specific creative restrictions or result in particular job cuts. Still, the concerns are understandable given the size of the transactions involved and the speed with which Saudi Arabia's gaming investments have expanded. Employees will be watching for concrete commitments about studio independence, editorial decision-making, and workforce stability if talks move forward.

Regulatory Scrutiny Would Be a Major Test

Any merger involving EA, Savvy, and potentially Scopely would need to clear regulatory review in relevant territories. The question would not be limited to whether the companies directly compete in one narrow market. Regulators could examine the combined group's influence over game publishing, mobile distribution, live-service monetization, sports licensing, esports events, and the acquisition of development talent.

The structure of ownership could also draw attention. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund created Savvy and is the dominant participant in the consortium that acquired EA. A move to combine these holdings would bring assets assembled through separate, multibillion-dollar transactions into a single larger organization.

Regulatory review does not mean a deal would necessarily be blocked. But it could impose conditions, extend the timeline, or require the parties to demonstrate that the merger will not reduce competition or harm consumers. With Moonton's acquisition still pending, a final EA-Savvy decision may remain some distance away.

A Defining Moment for Games Consolidation

The games industry has experienced years of acquisitions, investment, studio closures, and reassessments of live-service spending. A unified Savvy and EA would stand out even in that environment. It would connect one of the most established Western publishers with a rapidly built portfolio designed to compete across mobile gaming and esports on a global scale.

For now, the key point is that the reported merger remains under consideration rather than confirmed. Savvy's Moonton deal must progress, internal decisions have yet to be finalized, and regulators would have their own opportunity to examine any formal proposal. Until then, EA continues to operate as a recently privatized publisher, while Savvy continues building toward its stated 2030 goal.

If the plan does go ahead, it could reshape how EA operates and substantially change the balance of power in interactive entertainment. The result would be a company spanning blockbuster console and PC publishing, mainstream mobile games, competitive gaming, and some of the world's most durable live-service franchises. That prospect is why this reported restructuring deserves attention well before any agreement is officially announced.