PIF deputy governor steps in as Savvy Games’ interim CEO

Turqi Alnowaiser (LinkedIn), PIF’s deputy governor and head of its international investments division, is stepping in as interim acting CEO of Savvy Games Group after founding chief Brian Ward (LinkedIn) announced his departure, Bloomberg reports, citing a staff message it saw. Ward cast the timing as a natural handover point as the company moves into what he called its next phase of growth. Alnowaiser is a familiar name in gaming — he fronted PIF's USD 55 bn takeover of Electronic Arts, which was completed last month.

Ward had run the Kingdom's USD 38 bn gaming strategy since 2021, and the scorecard is uneven. The bright spot was Scopely: the USD 4.9 bn acquisition handed Savvy the studio behind Monopoly Go, which raced to USD 6 bn in revenue. The esports side went the other way, ending in layoffs and with expansion shelved.

REMEMBER- Ward’s exit slots into a wider pattern of PIF pulling back from its more speculative wagers, leaning harder on portfolio-company oversight, and cycling out executives. Alat’s Amit Midha left earlier this year, Neo Space Group’s Martijn Blanken was replaced, and LIV Golf may be headed for bankruptcy protection after the fund throttled its funding.