Pixel P&L: ByteDance is Selling Moonton to Saudi’s Savvy Games Group

Welcome to another Pixel P&L edition. This issue takes 5 minutes to read. If you only have one, here are the 5 most important things:

• ByteDance is selling Mobile Legends studio Moonton to Saudi's Savvy Games Group for up to $7 billion.

• Thai esports player arrested and faces prison time for SEA Games cheating scheme.

• TSM launches an AI tool that builds Minecraft structures from text, sparking player backlash.

• T1 Esports signed a defense partnership with the South Korean Navy to apply gaming tactics to military strategy.

• Ubisoft reports 18% jump in bookings driven by Assassin's Creed, amid strikes over job cuts.

Let's get into it.

ByteDance Nears $6 Billion Sale of Mobile Legends Studio to Saudi Fund

ByteDance is close to selling Moonton Technology, the studio behind Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, to Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games Group for $6 billion to $7 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.

The two sides have agreed on broad terms and could finalize the transaction this quarter, one person said. The price would give ByteDance a substantial return on the roughly $4 billion it paid for Moonton in 2021.

The sale follows ByteDance's 2023 decision to wind down its Nuverse gaming division and cut about 1,000 jobs. Talks with Savvy initially stalled over valuation disagreements before resuming last fall.

For Savvy Games Group, owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Moonton would add to a portfolio that includes Scopely and ESL FACEIT Group. The fund is also leading a consortium acquiring Electronic Arts for $55 billion.

Mobile Legends ranks among the world's most-watched esports titles, with a January championship drawing 5.6 million peak viewers.

Thai Authorities Arrest Esports Player Over SEA Games Cheating Scheme

Thai police arrested former national team player Naphat "Tokyogurl" Warasin on Feb. 13, alleging she used a remote player to compete in her place during the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.

Warasin and accomplice Chaiyo "Cheerio," 23, pleaded guilty to charges under Thailand's Computer Crime Act, which carries up to two years in prison and a 40,000 baht ($1,287) fine.

Investigators said Cheerio remotely controlled Warasin's account during a Dec. 15 Arena of Valor match while she attended the event in person. Warasin allegedly used a personal phone to share her screen via Discord while hiding the official competition device.

The scheme collapsed after referees changed passwords mid-match. Thailand was disqualified from the tournament.

Both players received lifetime bans from the Thai Esports Federation and publisher Garena. Warasin's club, TALON, terminated her contract in December. The Pathum Wan District Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on the matter on March 17.

⚡️Quick Bytes

TSM Launches AI Tool That Builds Minecraft Structures From Text Prompts

Esports organization TSM has released OSU.ai, a desktop application that generates Minecraft structures from text descriptions, automating the game's block-placement mechanic. The tool creates castles, spaceships and other builds in seconds based on user prompts. The launch drew criticism from players who said automating construction removes Minecraft's core appeal. TSM had shut down most of its esports operations in various titles including Dota 2, League of Legends, VALORANT after the organization ended their agreement with cryptofirm FTX in 2022  after FTX declared bankruptcy amid scandal.

T1 Esports Signs Defense Partnership With South Korean Navy

South Korean esports organization T1 signed a memorandum of understanding with the Republic of Korea Navy to apply gaming data analysis and tactical methodologies to naval defense systems. The agreement covers four areas: integrating gaming models into Navy simulations, applying esports tactics to naval strategy, joint research on data-based analysis, and co-hosting academic conferences. T1 Chief Operating Officer Ahn Woong-gi said the partnership aims to merge esports "soft power" with naval "hard power." The organization plans to extend similar cooperation to other defense sectors.

Ubisoft Reports 18% Jump in Net Bookings, Driven by Assassin's Creed

Ubisoft reported net bookings of €1.1 billion for the nine months ending Dec. 31, up 18% year-over-year, exceeding revised guidance of €330 million for the quarter. The Assassin's Creed franchise drove growth, while back-catalogue sales rose 36.2% to €1.03 billion. Revenue fell 1.4% to €976.2 million. The results come amid restructuring plans that include 200 job cuts in Paris and sparked a three-day strike by over 1,200 employees this week.

⚔️Side Quest

🤣Laugh:

📺 Watch: This video tackles whether Roblox games are "real" games and reveals the platform exists on a spectrum most critics ignore. Yes, there's brain rot and cash grabs, but titles like BlockTales and Nullscape are genuine works of art built despite engine restrictions that would break most developers. Essential viewing for understanding a $45 billion gaming ecosystem hiding in plain sight.

🎮 Play: Capcom's running a sale and I revisited Mega Man Legacy Collection. Turbo mode, auto-fire, save states, and rewind make these brutal games accessible without losing their soul. When I was younger, I stopped playing the series after Mega Man 3 or 4 on the NES and then never touched the series again. Now I'm finally working through what I started decades ago like a good old nostalgia merchant.

📚 Read: Game Marketer Chris Zukowski crunched the numbers on 1000+ hit indie games from 2025 to answer if keeping demos up post-launch actually matters. Spoiler: it barely moves the needle on wishlists (10.62 vs 10.57 daily followers), but games with demos score 5.5 points higher on reviews. Souls-likes keep demos up the most, adult games never do, and 30% of hit horror games still have theirs live. 

💡Did You Know

A couple went viral after Sony responded to their wedding invitation with free PlayStation games and a congratulatory card. The Instagram reel showing the surprise has over 900,000 views. The package included digital codes for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Horizon Call of the Mountain, Fortnite items, and what appeared to be a 2K sports title. The handwritten card read "Aidan & Kirsten, Congratulations on your marriage!" followed by "Thank you for playing with us." 

📜 Quote of the Day

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