Video games company Savvy Games Group aims to solidify its relationship with Japanese game giants Nintendo and Capcom to explore investment opportunities and game localization in the Middle East.
The Japanese giants currently manage their Middle Eastern operations from Europe, but after meeting in Tokyo, Savvy Game’s vice chair Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud has invited Nintendo, Bandai, Capcom, and Konami to consider establishing offices in the Middle East.
Backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Savvy is focused on creating an industry hub in the Kingdom for localizing foreign games as it plans to hire and train young Saudi engineers to develop a native gaming industry.
The KSA’s gaming vision
Prince Faisal, who is also a member of the kingdom’s ruling family says “One of the main areas is how do we collaborate on localization products, and help Japanese intellectual properties grow in a region that right now is underserved because very little is localized.”
“Game development is our long-term goal,” he said. “We want to build a global hub for gaming and esports.”
The PIF has since allocated 142 billion riyals ($37.9 billion) to Savvy and currently owns 8% of Nintendo and 6% of Capcom, according to Nikkei. It also acquired mobile game developer Scopely for $4.9 billion last year and two esports event companies for $1.5 billion in 2022
More acquisitions on the way
Savvy Games plans to use PIF-owned stocks for better collaboration with Japanese companies. With 75% of the 142 billion riyal budget unspent, the company is focused on acquiring “genre-leading titles,” prioritizing mergers and acquisitions.
One of Savvy’s main focus is its esports unit which it aims to enhance by prioritising technical opportunities like digital platforms and fan engagement tools. If its planned partnerships are fruitful, Savvy’s in-house development team could grow from 80 to 200 by early 2026.
The company’s acquisition of Scopely and the launch of Monopoly GO have firmly established Savvy Games as a major player in the industry. With ambitions to develop it’s own games for third-party consoles, Savvy could become the Nintendo or Capcom of the MENA region.
