Saudi Arabia has used its Public Investment Fund to invest more than $ 3.3 billion ($ 3,300,000,000 for the most visual students there) in Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive and Activision Blizzard, Al Jazeera reported (h / t Eurogamer).
This move, undertaken by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (colloquially known as MBS), equates to millions of shares in each company, a decent starting point in the video game industry, but relatively small fractions of ownership.
Of the Crown Prince MiSK Foundation, a non-profit foundation designed to “encourage, empower and create a healthy environment for young creative talent” in Saudi Arabia, also got a one-third stake in the Japanese gaming company SNK at the end of last year, with the ultimate goal of finally taking over the majority control of the iconic studio.
Although not explicitly part of the MBS Saudi Vision 2030 master plan – which, on paper, is about attracting investors and tourism, but is essentially a propaganda campaign that hopes to describe Saudi Arabia as a progressive nation, rather than the oppressive medieval monarchy, truly —His recent obscurities toward the video game industry follow the same pattern as his regime’s investments sports, sports, and professional fights.
MBS was hailed as a reformer at the beginning of his tenure as Crown Prince for, among other things, giving women the right to lead. But his supposed role in order the 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi Arabia the continuation of the genocide of the Yemeni people (with assistance from the United States and the United Arab Emirates) made him controversial on the global stage.
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Last summer, Riot had to get out of a partnership with Saudi Arabia, which would have seen a League of Legends event promotes the kingdom incredibly stupid NEOM project, after reaction from the sports community.