Sources: ByteDance is in advanced talks to sell game studio Moonton, the developer of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, to Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games for $6B to $7B
Context & Ripple Effects
ByteDance acquired Moonton through its Nuverse unit in 2021, then signaled a broader retreat from games when it explored selling Nuverse in 2024. The reported negotiations extend ByteDance's stated effort to exit gaming from a unit-level review to its best-known mobile-game asset.
The talks had already surfaced in late 2025; their reported advance suggests a potential buyer and valuation range have become more concrete. Subsequent related coverage says an agreement was reached, making this report an important step in that transaction arc.
First-order effects
- If completed, the sale would move Moonton and Mobile Legends from ByteDance to Savvy Games, while giving ByteDance a route out of an asset it bought in its 2021 Moonton acquisition.
- Savvy Games would gain direct control of an established mobile-game studio and franchise rather than pursuing growth solely through partnerships or investments.
Second-order effects
- A $6B-$7B price range would set a prominent reference point for buyers and sellers of scaled mobile-game studios, particularly those with enduring live-service titles.
- ByteDance's exit would narrow its direct gaming footprint, concentrating its capital-allocation choices outside a business it had previously sought to unwind.
Third-order effects
- If the deal closes, it would reinforce a shift in which large strategic investors acquire proven game operators and franchises rather than building global publishing capabilities from scratch.
- The transaction also illustrates how platform companies can treat game studios as non-core assets when their broader corporate priorities change, increasing the supply of mature studios available to strategic buyers.
The trend: Gaming ownership is shifting toward strategic buyers seeking established live-service franchises as platform companies reassess whether operating studios fits their core businesses.