ByteDance is reportedly in advanced talks to sell Moonton, the developer behind Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, to Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group in a deal valued at more than US$6 billion. The potential sale, first detailed by Reuters, would see the TikTok owner offload one of the most dominant mobile esports publishers in the world.
According to Reuters journalists Yantoultra Ngui and Kane Wu, the agreement could be signed as soon as this quarter, with key terms already broadly agreed between the two sides. The sources declined to be named as they were not authorised to speak publicly. ByteDance, Moonton and Savvy Games Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Deal Valued Between $6 Billion And $7 Billion
Reuters reports the transaction is being discussed at between US$6 billion and US$7 billion, representing a significant jump from the roughly US$4 billion ByteDance paid for Moonton in 2021 through its gaming arm, Nuverse.
A follow-up report citing Reuters notes that negotiations have entered a new phase, with the valuation now said to exceed US$6 billion. Earlier reporting from Bloomberg in November indicated ByteDance had reopened discussions with the Saudi Public Investment Fund subsidiary, after talks had slowed as the fund prioritised domestic infrastructure projects such as Neom.
If finalised, the agreement would stand as one of the largest mobile gaming acquisitions in recent years.
Mobile Legends Performance Strengthens Negotiations
The higher valuation is closely tied to the continued growth of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. According to Moonton’s official website, the title has surpassed 1.5 billion downloads and maintains more than 110 million monthly active users. It ranks among the top 10 most played games in over 80 countries.
Despite broader stagnation in parts of the mobile MOBA market and competition from Honor of Kings, MLBB has sustained strong organic growth in Southeast Asia.
In January 2026, the M7 World Championship recorded a peak viewership of 5.6 million. That reportedly placed it second only to League of Legends in peak viewers, ahead of major esports titles including VALORANT and Counter-Strike 2. It also set a new benchmark for a mobile title, surpassing Free Fire’s previous peak.
Those audience figures reinforce Mobile Legends’ value as both a publishing asset and a global esports ecosystem.
ByteDance Exits Large-Scale Game Development
A Moonton divestment would mark ByteDance’s most significant step away from in-house game development.
The company announced in 2023 that it would restructure its gaming operations following a strategic review. Since then, Nuverse has divested several projects, with some assets sold to Tencent in mid-2024. Moonton now represents ByteDance’s last major internally owned development studio with a global footprint.
Reports suggest proceeds from the sale could support ByteDance’s continued investment in artificial intelligence research and infrastructure, including large language model initiatives such as Seedance, as well as scaling TikTok’s global operations.
ByteDance’s broader valuation has surged over the past year. Reuters previously reported that its first and second quarter 2025 revenues surpassed those of Meta, making it the world’s largest social media company by sales. In the third quarter, the company launched an employee share buyback valuing it at more than US$330 billion.
Savvy Games Group Expands Its Global Portfolio
Savvy Games Group, owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has been steadily building a global games and esports portfolio through acquisitions and investments.
In 2023, Savvy acquired Scopely for US$4.9 billion. Scopely later purchased Niantic’s game division, including the team behind Pokemon Go, for US$3.5 billion. Savvy also controls ESL FACEIT Group, giving it influence over tournament operations and competitive infrastructure.
Recent reports further indicate the group secured close to 94 percent of Electronic Arts in a US$55 billion deal, adding franchises such as EA Sports FC, Apex Legends, The Sims and Battlefield to its expanding portfolio.
Acquiring Moonton would give Savvy control over a leading mobile esports title with deep roots in Southeast Asia, further strengthening its position across publishing, live events and competitive ecosystems.
Ongoing Industry Consolidation
The potential sale reflects continued consolidation across the gaming sector, as major investors pursue intellectual property, scale and long-term control over global esports ecosystems.
With Mobile Legends maintaining strong download numbers and record-breaking esports viewership, Moonton remains one of the most valuable standalone mobile studios on the market. If the deal closes this quarter as sources suggest, it would significantly reshape ownership within the mobile esports landscape.
For now, the transaction remains unconfirmed by the companies involved, but multiple reports indicate negotiations are approaching a decisive stage.