Overview
- Sources say the negotiations are preliminary and could end without a transaction, and the companies declined to comment due to the sensitivity of the talks.
- ByteDance acquired Moonton in 2021 for about $4 billion to secure the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang franchise and a global publishing and operations team.
- Reports in late 2023 indicated ByteDance explored a sale of Moonton with a roughly $5 billion price floor after deep cuts at its games unit.
- Savvy, founded in 2021 and wholly owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has pursued major deals including participation in a consortium agreement to buy Electronic Arts for about $55 billion.
- Moonton’s Mobile Legends delivers strong reach in Southeast Asia, making the studio an attractive target for a buyer building mobile and regional scale.