Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is reportedly considering combining Electronic Arts (EA) with Savvy Games Group.

Saudi Esports Federation launches the Level Up Program with VANGUARD, giving graduates hands-on experience through PRIME League live operations.

Image via Valve Saudi esports organisation Team Falcons has announced its withdrawal from competitive Dota 2, ending a nearly three-year run that included victory at The International 2025. Falcons confirmed the move following a strategic review of its esports plans for 2026 and beyond. “At Team Falcons, our goal is to build long-term, high-impact programs across global esports,” the organisation said in an official statement. Falcons said its global focus is shifting towards

Image via Savvy Games Group Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group has signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Gosu Academy and Warpzone AI Labs, with the agreements focused on talent development, training and AI in gaming. The agreements were signed at LEAP 2026 in Riyadh and form part of Savvy’s efforts to develop Saudi talent and strengthen gaming capabilities in the Kingdom. Under its agreement with Gosu Academy, Savvy will explore opportunities across games and esp

Image via Savvy Games Group Brian Ward has confirmed he is stepping down as CEO of Savvy Games Group, following a Bloomberg report that the founding chief executive was leaving the Saudi Arabian gaming company. Ward confirmed his departure in a LinkedIn post, saying he had completed his contractual commitment to Savvy and its owner, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), after five years building and leading the group. “This week I fulfilled and completed my contractual

Image via FIFAe Jeddah will host the FIFAe Finals 2026 from October 16 to 25, with three football esports world titles to be decided at the Abadi Al Johar Arena. The event will feature competitions in eFootball on console and mobile alongside Rocket League, with national teams qualifying through FIFAe’s international competition structure. Twelve nations will compete in each of the two eFootball tournaments, while 16 will contest the Rocket League competition. The eFootball t

Image via EStars Holiday Inn has partnered with educational esports company EStars to introduce dedicated gaming spaces at four hotels in Saudi Arabia. The Elite Gaming Pods have opened at Holiday Inn Riyadh Business District, Holiday Inn Riyadh Al Malaz, Holiday Inn Jeddah Corniche and Holiday Inn & Suites Al Khobar. Each hotel has two pods equipped with MSI gaming PCs, next-generation consoles, curved monitors, gaming accessories and ergonomic seating. Guests can access gam

Image via Savvy Games Group Savvy Games Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) to expand support for local talent, entrepreneurs and startups in the Kingdom’s games and esports industry. Under the agreement, Savvy Academy programmes and masterclasses will be made available through the Saudi Digital Academy, widening access to games industry training and expertise. The partnership will als

Discover how Pixel Perfect's Campus Masters expanded to 51 universities across MENA, creating a sustainable grassroots pipeline and campus infrastructure for esports.

Image via Scopley Savvy Games Group-owned Scopely was named the most-honored company at the 2026 Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards, receiving 12 awards and honorable mentions across its gaming ecosystem. The awards were presented during Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, with Scopely taking recognition across its publishing business, individual games and development studios. It marks the second consecutive year Scopely has emerged as the most-honored company at the awards. Scopely rece

Image via Esports Foundation Average live viewership for the Esports World Cup increased 37% year-on-year in 2026, reaching 145,100 viewers, according to a new report from Esports Charts. Total watch time also increased significantly, rising 29.5% compared with 2025 to more than 237 million hours watched across the tournaments and their qualifiers. The figures cover 25 esports tournaments and their qualifiers, with Esports Charts pointing to an expanded competition programme

Image via The National Development Fund (NDF) More than 127 game titles have received development support through Saudi Arabia's Gaming and Esports Financing Program, according to a new report detailing the programme's achievements. The National Development Fund (NDF) said more than SAR421 million ($112 million) in financing had been approved by the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, benefiting 82 entities across the sector. The programme has supported the completion of 43 g

Image via Getty / Savvy Games Group Brian Ward is reportedly stepping down as CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group after leading the company since its formation. Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Ward is leaving the top role at the Public Investment Fund-owned games and esports company. Savvy has yet to publicly announce the departure or name a successor. Ward joined Savvy as its founding CEO and has overseen its expansion into one of the biggest companies in the global g

Image via NewGen Studio For Seifeddine Ben Hamouda, the question facing NewGen Studio is no longer whether a Tunisian game studio can make games for a global audience. West Hunt has already answered that. The more pressing question is what comes next. Founded in Tunisia in 2016, NewGen Studio has spent the past decade building games from North Africa, learning through failed projects, finding an international audience, and establishing a track record on Steam. Now, the studio

Qiddiya Investment Company is seeking an experienced and dynamic Manager - Gaming IP Partnerships to join our team. In this role, you will be responsible for identifying, negotiating, and managing strategic partnerships related to gaming intellectual property (IP). This position offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to Qiddiya's vision of becoming a leading entertainment destination by leveraging popular gaming brands and IPs to enhance the overall guest experience. Ke

Image via BSF / SEF Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Esports Federation to explore new financing products, investment programmes and specialised banking services for Saudi Arabia's growing gaming and esports sector. The agreement will see the two organisations explore ways of developing the financial ecosystem supporting gaming and esports companies, alongside potential sponsorship of initiatives and tournaments organised by th

Image via Roblox Roblox is set to establish its regional headquarters for the Middle East and North Africa in Riyadh, expanding the gaming and creation platform's presence in Saudi Arabia as it increases its investment in the Kingdom. The move was supported through collaboration with Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment (MISA), Riyadh Creative District and the General Authority of Media Regulation (GMedia), and forms part of Roblox's plans to support the country's growing cr

Image via 3D Game Jam / AssetHub Saudi Arabia is hosting a three-day game jam bringing more than 200 developers, artists and designers together with veteran Japanese game creators to build playable prototypes using AI and 3D technology. The 3D Game Jam kicked off on August 27 at Code Lab, King Saud University in Riyadh and runs until August 30, with participants able to take part both in person and online. Powered by AI 3D platform AssetHub, the event challenges teams to move

Image via LEAP Leading figures from the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF), ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) and Hero Esports will come together at LEAP 2026 in Riyadh for a Main Stage discussion on the growing scale and commercial influence of competitive gaming. The “Esports: The Business of Play” panel will bring together HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, chairman of SEF; Rawan Al Butairi, CEO of SEF; Niccolò Maisto, CEO of EFG; and Danny Tang, CEO of Hero Esports. HRH Pr

Image via MBC Game Studio Saudi Arabia's growing ambitions in the global gaming industry have taken another major step forward with the reveal of 1001 Threads of Mizan, a large-scale action-adventure from MBC Game Studio that brings Arab folklore and storytelling into the AAA gaming space. Backed by MBC Group, the Saudi media and entertainment company headquartered in Riyadh, MBC Game Studio is developing the title as its first original game. The project represents a notable