PIF’s gaming entity aims to become a global games leader by 2030

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According to the 2023 annual report published by Savvy, there are more than 21 million self-identified game players in Saudi Arabia. (Ministry of Sport)
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Updated 01 September 2024
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PIF’s gaming entity aims to become a global games leader by 2030

  • Savvy’s CEO Brian Ward sheds light on company’s achievements, future plans

RIYADH: The CEO of Savvy Games Group recently detailed the latest progress from its 2023 annual report and highlighted key areas of expansion in 2025.

Brian Ward told Arab News: “2025 is going to be a very exciting year for Savvy.

“First of all, on the esports side, we have the inaugural Olympic Esports Games here in Riyadh, sometime later in the second half of the year. So, a huge tournament, the first official addition to the Olympic movement since the Winter Games in 1928,” he explained.

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“On the game development and publishing side, we expect to be able to announce another major investment or acquisition, hopefully in a top team or publisher that can bring another great game to our portfolio,” he said.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The company emphasized its mission and commitment to transparency through the publication of its first inaugural annual report providing key resources for understanding Savvy’s trajectory in the gaming sector.

• On creating jobs, Ward said that the team has now doubled in size within the last year.

Savvy is one of the entities responsible for positioning the Kingdom as a major global hub for the games industry, with a mission to become a world leader by 2030.

Since its launch in September 2022 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also the chairman of the board of Savvy Games Group, the PIF-owned company has expanded its assets on multiple fronts from human capital, acquisitions, game development, and investment.




Brian Ward, Savvy Games Group CEO

“I think we’ll see a lot more collaboration amongst all the stakeholders in the Kingdom toward creating great incentives to attract foreign investment and to bring jobs to Saudi Arabia, as well as training and development programs actually kicking off to help develop skills for Saudis,” Ward said.

According to the 2023 annual report published by Savvy, there are more than 21 million self-identified game players in Saudi Arabia — 70 percent of the population — with over 48 percent of these players being women.

The company emphasized its mission and commitment to transparency through the publication of its first inaugural annual report providing key resources for understanding Savvy’s trajectory in the gaming sector.

On the game development and publishing side, we expect to be able to announce another major investment or acquisition, hopefully in a top team or publisher that can bring another great game to our portfolio.

Brian Ward, Savvy Games Group CEO

One of the major central themes of the report is Savvy’s role in delivering Saudi Arabia’s National Gaming and Esports Strategy.

In a statement released by Savvy, the CEO said: “2023 was a transformative year for Savvy. Our investments and initiatives have expanded our global footprint and contributed to exciting developments within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and added significant shareholder value.

“I would like to extend my gratitude to our chairman for his wise counsel and leadership and our shareholder, the PIF, for their unwavering support and guidance.”

The annual report detailed how 2023 marked a major year of investment for Savvy, with the largest transaction being a $4.9 billion acquisition of Scopely, the rebranding of Savvy Games Studios to Steer Studios, and the launch of “MONOPOLY GO!”

On creating jobs, Ward said that the team has now doubled in size within the last year. Savy’s workforce now has over 3,500 employees across 22 countries with an emphasis on hiring people in key areas such as finance, strategy, legal, human resources, and communications.

When asked how Savvy aims to contribute to the Kingdom’s growing gaming sector, Ward said they are executing on three fronts: games development and publishing investment worldwide, esports development, and then Saudi Arabian ecosystem-building.

“On the KSA ecosystem-building front, our main mission, as we see it, is to help coalesce and drive further collaboration amongst local stakeholders to ensure that we have the right incentives, packages to attract foreign investment and jobs, training and development programs, coming to fruition to give Saudis the right skills to fill those jobs,” he explained.

Ward highlighted how Savvy’s local studio is doing “extremely well,” adding that “there’s about 85 or 90 people in that studio now. They’re in development of two mobile games, one of which is in soft launch and, hoping to kick off a console project with an important, local third party.”

Speaking on the recent New Global Sports Conference, Ward said it was very successful.

“We were remarking that I don’t think any of us had seen that number of senior executives from the games industry all in one place in many, many years, so super well-attended from that point.”


Saudi Red Crescent conducts air evacuation in Arafat as part of Hajj preparedness efforts

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Saudi Red Crescent conducts air evacuation in Arafat as part of Hajj preparedness efforts

  • Operation was launched after an emergency call was received by the SRCA’s central operations room

ARAFAT: The Saudi Red Crescent Authority carried out an emergency air medical evacuation in Arafat on Wednesday, as part of its broader efforts to enhance readiness during the Hajj season, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The operation was launched after an emergency call was received by the SRCA’s central operations room.

Ground and air ambulance teams were immediately dispatched to the scene in coordination with relevant health authorities, SPA added.

The patient was stabilized on-site and transported by medical evacuation aircraft to a designated hospital, following direct coordination with the hospital’s medical team and the provision of all necessary medical details.

SRCA spokesman Dr. Taimur Shukrullah Jan said the mission was part of a broader integrated system designed to improve emergency response across the holy sites.

He noted that medical evacuation aircraft are crucial in reducing response times, particularly in areas of high population density or restricted mobility.

“The authority is harnessing all its human and technical resources to serve pilgrims, in line with its humanitarian and national mission,” Jan said. “Our ground and air ambulance teams are operating around the clock to deliver urgent care where and when it’s needed.”

The SRCA’s air ambulance service for the Hajj season comprises 11 aircraft deployed across 13 strategic landing sites in Makkah and the holy sites.

More than 120 trained personnel are working to ensure rapid intervention and high-quality emergency services for pilgrims, SPA reported.


Pilgrims receive gifts reflecting Saudi culture

Updated 46 min 58 sec ago
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Pilgrims receive gifts reflecting Saudi culture

MAKKAH: The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts, known as Wrth, has welcomed pilgrims arriving in Saudi Arabia via land, sea, and air with gifts inspired by traditional Saudi arts.

This initiative, in collaboration with the Pilgrim Awareness Center and Saudia airline, aims to enrich pilgrims’ experience culturally and intellectually, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Pilgrims received prayer rugs adorned by Arabic calligraphy and medallions featuring traditional inscriptions reflecting Saudi cultural values.

Accompanying the gifts were informational cards about Hajj rituals, provided by the Pilgrim Awareness Center.

Gifts were distributed at key entry points, including King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah Islamic Port, and the Hajj dispatching control center on Hijrah Road.

Wrth’s participation aligns with its mission to raise awareness of traditional arts and offer a unique pilgrim experience during the Kingdom’s Year of Handicrafts.

The initiative highlights national identity and strengthens the global presence of traditional Saudi arts, the SPA reported.

The royal institute recently completed a billboard project along Hijrah Road between Makkah and Madinah, in collaboration with the Roads General Authority.

The billboards feature designs inspired by traditional motifs and crafts such as weaving, reflecting the national identity. These showcase the beauty of local arts and regional patterns and aim to enrich pilgrims’ cultural experience and promote heritage tourism.


Three Saudi twin pairs unite to serve pilgrims at Hajj

Updated 04 June 2025
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Three Saudi twin pairs unite to serve pilgrims at Hajj

  • These six young men are united in their dedication to serving pilgrims, according to the Saudi Press Agency

MAKKAH: In a rare and coincidental alignment, this year’s public service camps organized by the Saudi Arabian Scouts Association for Hajj have brought together three sets of Saudi twins.

Hailing from the scout group of the Civil Development Association in Riyadh’s Al-Rabie neighborhood, these six young men are united in their dedication to serving pilgrims, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

The twins — Hussam and Issam Saeed Al-Qarni, Azzam and Ammar Suleiman Al-Sulaiman, and Walid and Muhannad Abdul-Hakim Al-Otaibi — are bound not only by family ties and similar appearances, but also by a shared passion for scouting and commitment to volunteer work and pilgrim service.

Hussam and Issam said: “Scouting was not just a passing activity, but a life path chosen with conviction from a young age.”

They emphasized they were raised to love their country, and that scouting has allowed them to express this through guiding pilgrims, providing first aid, and offering various forms of assistance.

They also stressed that “every moment during the pilgrimages is a new lesson in patience, compassion, and discipline.”

Azzam and Ammar said that the experience has deepened their bond, adding with pride: “We thought we knew each other well, but in the atmosphere of the pilgrimages and under the pressure of tasks, we discovered new dimensions of cooperation and interdependence.

“We work as a team, complementing each other, and everything we do is for the comfort of the pilgrim, whom we consider our guest. It is our duty to provide them with the utmost comfort.”

Walid and Muhannad Abdul-Hakim Al-Otaibi expressed their profound pride in participating, describing it as life-changing. “Today, we are not only serving, but also learning how to stand calmly in the midst of a crowd, how to take initiative without expecting thanks, and how scouting can be a comprehensive educational field,” they said.

“Being here together, two brothers and twins, experiencing the same thing and sharing every detail, is something we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.”


98-year-old Egyptian pilgrim fulfilling lifelong dream

Updated 04 June 2025
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98-year-old Egyptian pilgrim fulfilling lifelong dream

  • Ahmed Tamim is among the oldest pilgrims on Hajj this year
  • Son Muhammed says ‘his eyes filled with tears’ when selected

JEDDAH: Ahmed Tamim, 98, is fulfilling a lifelong dream of performing Hajj this year.

Tamim is a native of Egypt’s Sohag governorate, located on the west bank of the Nile, and is one of the oldest pilgrims on this year’s Hajj.

He arrived in Madinah on May 18 accompanied by his son, to embark on the sacred journey that is mandatory for all Muslims who are physically and financially able to complete it.

They are among 13,062 Egyptian pilgrims who were selected through the annual lottery to perform the pilgrimage this year.

His son Muhammed told Arab News: “It all started with a phone call from my friends who said the Hajj lottery is open, aren’t you going to apply for your father?

“I tried to contact the lottery mission, and they told me tomorrow is the last day (and) anyone who hasn’t applied can still apply.

“At the time, we hadn’t applied, but after that call, I decided to apply for my father, and thank God, his name was added to the reserve list due to his advanced age.”

He added: “Every year he used to wish to perform Hajj or Umrah. This time, when he found out his name was called after all these years, his eyes filled with tears and he reacted with happiness, he couldn’t believe it.”

Muhammed said his father is insisting on performing all the rituals unaided despite his difficulties in walking and hearing.

“He always (said) ‘this is an opportunity Allah has chosen me, and I want to experience it to the fullest.’”

Muhammad added: “Everyone in Sohag is happy for my father, because he’s not only the oldest pilgrim, but he’s a very respected religious person in the governorate.

“May Allah accept his Hajj and we are all so glad that he finally made Hajj.”


Saudi health minister visits pilgrim who received emergency cardiac surgery in Arafat

Updated 04 June 2025
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Saudi health minister visits pilgrim who received emergency cardiac surgery in Arafat

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Health Minister Fahad Abdulrahman AlJalajel recently visited a Hajj pilgrim who had received emergency cardiac surgery at East Arafat Hospital.

The minister, who is also chairman of the Health Holding Co., made the visit during an inspection tour of healthcare facilities before the pilgrimage begins later this week, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

The hospital is one of several medical facilities serving the holy sites during the Hajj.