Saudi Arabia has used its Public Investment Fund to invest more than $ 3.3 billion (that’s $ 3.3 million for the more visually appealing learners out there) in Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive, and Activision Blizzard , Al Jazeera recitation (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 reasonable footstep in the video game industry but relatively small fractions of property.
Crown Prince MiSK Foundation, a non-profit foundation meant “nurturing, empowering, and creating a healthy environment for young creative talents” in Saudi Arabia, too he got a third of a bet in Japanese games company SNK late last year, with the ultimate goal of taking control of most of the image studio.
While not specifically part of MBS ‘overall Saudi Vision 2030 plan – which, on paper, is about attracting investors and tourism but essentially boils down to a propaganda campaign that hopes to represents Saudi Arabia as a progressive country rather than its oppressive, medieval monarchy. – this recent move to the video game industry follows the same pattern as investments made by its regime sport, esports, and professional wrestling.
MBS was hailed as an early reformer in his tenure as crown prince for, among other things, giving women the right to drive. But the role he says in order murder of 2018 journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi Arabi’s ongoing genocide of Yemeni people (with support from the United States and the United Arab Emirates) made controversial on the global stage.
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Last summer, Riot had to withdraw from partnership by Saudi Arabia, which would have been a League of Legends kingdom promotion event NEOM dumb horror project, after a backlash from the esports community.