One year after Savvy Games Group acquired Scopely, CEO Brian Ward said the goal was to provide long-term capital without taking over day-to-day operations. In a July 2024 GamesBeat interview, he discussed Scopely’s autonomy, Monopoly GO’s exceptional success, Savvy’s three strategic pillars and the company’s plans for Saudi Arabia’s games industry. His comments describe his view at the time—not a verified account of subsequent results.
What changed at Scopely after Savvy acquired it?
GamesBeat reported that Savvy acquired Scopely for $4.9 billion, in a deal linked to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund backing Savvy. In the interview marking roughly a year since the acquisition, Ward described the two companies as having worked out how to operate together as a larger organization.
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His stated approach was to keep Scopely independent while making Savvy a source of strategic capital for growth. Ward said the aim was “to be that long-term strategic capital partner and fuel that growth.” That is his account of the owner’s role, rather than an independent assessment of how much control Savvy exercised.
How independent is Scopely under Savvy?
Ward said Scopely’s employees experienced Savvy as “almost invisible to them,” which he took as evidence that the owner was not getting in the way. He also said Scopely’s continued performance was a source of gratitude and that the companies had found a way to work together. The interview does not independently establish employee sentiment or detail which decisions Savvy makes.
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Ward cautioned against treating the acquisition as a guarantee of extraordinary growth: “doubling the company every six months is not an expectation the stakeholders should have.” That framing distinguishes providing capital and support from promising that a successful studio or game will keep expanding at an exceptional rate.
What did Brian Ward say about Monopoly GO?
GamesBeat’s introduction reported that Monopoly GO generated $2 billion in revenue in its first 10 months. That figure was reported by GamesBeat, not newly supplied by Ward during the interview. Asked for an update, Ward said Scopely had not publicly announced newer numbers and that Savvy relied on Scopely to make such announcements. He characterized the game’s performance as continuing on a similar trajectory, without giving a new revenue total.
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Ward called the game’s success unusual: “Something like Monopoly Go is a bit of a unicorn.” He pointed to the strength of a familiar intellectual property and described Savvy’s role as supporting teams and franchises while seeking further opportunities. The interview does not provide a later performance figure or a forecast for the game.
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What are Savvy’s strategic priorities?
Ward described three pillars for Savvy: game development and publishing, esports, and developing Saudi Arabia as a global games hub. He said the mix of recent opportunities should not be read as a shift in commitment from one pillar to another.
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- Game development and publishing: Backing studios, games and franchises, including through investment and acquisition opportunities.
- Esports: Continuing to pursue opportunities, including those involving technology and digital platforms. Ward rejected the idea that recent games investments meant esports had become less important.
- Saudi Arabia’s games ecosystem: Attracting companies and studios, improving incentives, developing local skills and education, and creating jobs for Saudi citizens.
These pillars describe Savvy’s stated strategy in July 2024. The interview does not quantify how capital or resources were allocated among them.
What was Ward’s outlook for games and mobile?
Ward said he had heard from bankers that funding and IPO opportunities were picking up, and described the industry as having adjusted after overestimating demand during the pandemic. These were his observations in mid-2024, not a current market forecast.
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He expected mobile free-to-play to remain strong, particularly in mobile-first markets. He also discussed a potential market of 288 million gamers across Saudi Arabia and the wider region. That was Ward’s figure in the interview; the transcript passage does not give a methodology, so it should not be treated as a verified census.
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Ward described ecosystem-building as a long-term effort, not a quick outcome. The priorities he named included attracting international companies and studios, providing investment incentives, training local talent and expanding education and employment opportunities for Saudi citizens. He said a global hub takes years to develop; the interview presents these as plans and priorities, not proof of results achieved since.
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Ward also said Saudi Arabia’s national games and esports strategy had 86 objectives. That number is his statement in the interview, not an independently assessed measure of the strategy’s scope or progress.
How large was Savvy’s workforce at the time?
Asked whether Savvy’s combined workforce was around 3,800, Ward confirmed an approximate total for July 2024. His breakdown was:
| Organization or location | Approximate workforce Ward cited |
|---|---|
| Scopely | Around 2,300 |
| ESL FACEIT Group | Around 1,300 |
| Saudi Arabia | A couple hundred |
| Combined | Around 3,800 |
These are Ward’s approximate figures from the 2024 interview, not current headcount.
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What the interview does—and does not—show
Ward’s central business argument was that Savvy could pursue a broader games strategy while allowing an acquired company to retain operational autonomy. The interview offers his rationale and priorities, alongside GamesBeat’s reported acquisition price and the first-10-month revenue figure for Monopoly GO. It does not independently test Scopely’s degree of independence, establish later game revenue, or document whether Saudi ecosystem plans have since delivered their intended results.
Source: GamesBeat’s interview with Brian Ward, published July 12, 2024, and updated June 18, 2025.
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