Brian Ward confirms Savvy departure

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 commitment to Savvy and the PIF,” Ward wrote, adding that after a career spanning more than four decades it was time for “a new chapter and retirement from fulltime duty.”

Bloomberg originally reported Ward’s departure on September 1, citing an internal message to Savvy employees. The report said PIF deputy governor and head of international investments Turqi Alnowaiser would take over as interim acting CEO.

Ward moved to Riyadh in 2021 to establish what became Savvy Games Group and served as its founding CEO. During his tenure, Savvy grew into one of the world’s largest games companies, with major investments and acquisitions including Scopely, ESL and FACEIT, alongside initiatives aimed at developing Saudi Arabia’s domestic gaming ecosystem.

In his LinkedIn post, Ward said more than 200 young Saudis had joined Savvy in Riyadh and highlighted initiatives including the Savvy Academy and its university partnerships, as well as the Play to Learn programme, which he said attracted 719,000 students from more than 7,000 schools.

Ward described leading Savvy as “the highlight of my career” and said the company had grown from its inception to become the sixth-largest games software company by net revenue.

While leaving the CEO position and retiring from full-time work, Ward will not cut his ties with Savvy entirely. He said he had been asked to remain as an advisor to the company.

“After five years Savvy is no longer a startup,” Ward wrote, saying the company was entering a new period of growth and that it was the right time for additional leadership to pursue the opportunities ahead.