Turqi Alnowaiser, deputy governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and head of its International Investments Division, has been appointed interim CEO of Savvy Games Group following the departure of founding chief executive Brian Ward.
Ward announced his departure in an internal staff message, saying the leadership change came as Savvy entered its “next phase of growth.” Alnowaiser will serve as interim CEO while PIF searches for a permanent replacement.
The change comes shortly after a PIF-led consortium completed its approximately $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts (EA), one of the largest deals in the video game industry. Alnowaiser was involved in leading PIF’s international investment efforts around the transaction.
Ward had led Savvy since its establishment in November 2021, overseeing the development of Saudi Arabia’s gaming investment strategy and a planned PIF commitment of around $38 billion to the sector.
During his tenure, Savvy completed several major acquisitions. These included the $4.9 billion purchase of Scopely in 2023. The mobile games company is the developer of Monopoly Go, which has become one of the industry's major mobile titles.
Savvy also acquired Niantic’s games business, including Pokémon Go, for about $3.5 billion in 2025, and acquired Moonton from ByteDance earlier this year.
The group expanded beyond game development and publishing through investments in esports. It acquired ESL and FACEIT, which were combined to form ESL FACEIT Group, and helped establish the Esports World Cup. Savvy has also taken minority stakes in major global gaming companies including Nintendo, Take-Two Interactive and Bandai Namco.
The group’s esports operations have faced challenges, including layoffs and the shelving of some planned expansion.
Ward’s departure follows a period of significant expansion for Savvy, which has grown into a global gaming investment group with approximately 3,500 to 4,000 employees across nearly 30 locations, according to the information provided.
The appointment also comes as PIF oversees two major investments in the global games industry following the completion of the EA acquisition. The relationship between EA and Savvy’s existing portfolio will be determined by the fund and the companies as they move forward; there is no indication in the material provided that Savvy is being restructured around EA.
Before joining Savvy, Ward held senior roles at Electronic Arts, Microsoft and Activision. At Activision, he oversaw the acquisition of 11 studios during an eight-year period.
Ward’s tenure at Savvy included both major acquisitions and expansion into esports. His departure now leaves Alnowaiser responsible for the group on an interim basis as PIF begins the process of selecting a permanent CEO.