Saudi Arabia’s gaming investment seems to be growing by the month as the country’s stake in Nintendo increases once again.
The nation’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) bolstered their presence in the Mario-makers from 6.07 to 7.08 percent. News surfaced from a Saudi-based Twitter account that shared the increase in “ownership percentage” on Feb. 15.
The Prime Minister and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, previously bumped their share in the company in an attempt to add to the country’s diversified investments and continues to do so more frequently.
The previous increase on Jan. 12, 2023, saw Saudi Arabia’s control in the company increase from 5.01 to 6.07 percent.
The prior investment was met with controversy after both members of the public and non-government organizations (Amnesty International) pointed to the country’s track record involving human rights abuse. The country still criminalizes homosexuality, with punishments as severe as the death penalty.
Saudi Arabia has been spreading its reach throughout the gaming community via investments across the landscape. A subsidiary of the government’s PIF, Savvy Gaming group, funds massive esports circuits through their acquisition of CS:GO tournament organizer, ESL (owned by Embracer Group) for $1 billion dollars. The country has also invested in EA, Activision Blizzard, and Capcom.
We’ll likely continue to see the country extending its reach throughout the gaming and esports community as time goes on.
