SHANGHAI, Feb. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation and Vice Chairman of Savvy Games Group (Savvy), and Brian Ward, CEO of Savvy, have this month led a senior business delegation to China. The delegation was accompanied by senior leaders from VSPO, the leading Chinese esports company, including Dino Ying, co-founder and CEO, and Danny Tang, co-founder, CFO and head strategy.
Visiting Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu, the delegation engaged with current and future partners in China’s games and esports industry. The visit further strengthened commercial partnerships between China, the world’s biggest esports market, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as it implements Vision 2030 and becomes a leading global hub for gaming and esports.
Meeting with Hu Jinjun, Member of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the China Media Group
In 2023, Savvy, wholly owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, invested $265 million into VSPO, becoming the largest international investor. Savvy’s long-term investment is helping VSPO to continue to deliver on its global strategy and accelerate the growth of mobile esports.
The meetings in this visit also covered preparations for the inaugural Esports World Cup (EWC) which will take place in Riyadh in the summer of 2024.
Meeting with CEOs of Shanghai’s gaming industry including Chen Rui, Liu Wei, Wang Xinwen and Yuan Jing at INS
HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, Vice Chair, Savvy Games Group. said:
"We learned so much from this trip. We will work with VSPO to connect global esports markets and build Saudi Arabia into the hub of the global esports and gaming market. Through long-term investment and capital deployment, we will build a sustainable and profitable global esports ecosystem."
Brian Ward, CEO, Savvy Games Group, said:
"China’s position as the largest esports market, with over 400 million fans and significant industry revenue, underlines the valuable role the Chinese market will play in supporting the continued development of Saudi Arabia’s thriving gaming and esports sector. This visit provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen Savvy’s connection with our partners at VSPO, as well as building our insights and network within one of the world’s foremost games and esports markets."
Dino Ying, Chair, VSPO, said:
"Two years ago, I communicated with Savvy for the first time in a Zoom call. At that time, I realized that although we were from two different markets, our ideas on technological innovation, the future of esports, player ecology and professionalization were very consistent. That’s why we were already thinking about how to cooperate, not whether to cooperate. Now we are more confident because we have a shared vision and a friendship, and we plan to make more innovation for the industry together with Savvy in the future."
Meeting with Beijing gaming industry, hosted by the CEO of Hero Games, Daniel
About Savvy Games Group
Savvy Games Group ("Savvy") is a games and esports company founded to drive the long-term growth and development of esports and the wider games industry worldwide. Savvy was set up, and is 100% owned, by PIF. As a global champion of the sector, Savvy is a leader in games and esports by empowering people through the deployment of significant capital over the long-term.
Savvy Games Group website – savvygames.com
About VSPO
Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Shanghai, VSPO is a leading esports total solutions provider in Asia. VSPO focuses its business on tournament operations, talent incubation and management, and commercialization. It is the principal tournament organizer and broadcaster for a number of top competitions, partnering with a majority of China’s esports tournaments. Over the past decade, VSPO has developed a number of long-term partnerships with top-tier developers from China, Korea, and South East Asia, including Tencent, Garena, and Krafton. vsgo.com
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