“What excites me most are large-scale events like the hugely successful Esports World Cup, which are evolving beyond pure competition into cultural moments that combine entertainment, community, and global reach.”
Known for its work in gaming and esports, Savvy Games Group operates across the global industry. CEO Brian Ward, who is a Canadian himself, provided insights to esports.gg on Canada's game development ecosystem, his company’s strategic investments, the future of esports, and more.
Savvy Games Group CEO Brian Ward on building sustainable ecosystems
According to Ward, Canada's games sector and ecosystem grew through long-term policies, targeted incentives, and programs such as the Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax incentive. The establishment of Ubisoft Montréal played a major role in the industry's growth as well, and Saudi Arabia can take inspiration from Canada's approach as it builds its own ecosystem.
"The establishment of Ubisoft Montréal was a major enabler as it created a cluster effect, helping attract other major players such as Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Games into the country," Ward said. "Over time, Canada has combined international experience with the development of strong local talent supported by close partnerships between universities and industry. This multi-pronged approach has really helped position Canada as a global hub for game development today."
He continued, "Saudi Arabia can take a lot of inspiration from how Canada built a strong and sustainable games ecosystem. At Savvy, we're always open to working with Canadian studios looking to enter the Saudi and wider MENA markets. I see particular opportunities around education and collaboration on the systems and infrastructure needed to develop local games talent."
Brian Ward on partnerships and investments
Beyond Canada, Savvy Games Group partnered with Unity, AWS, Side, Territory, and more last year. According to Ward, these partnerships also help build a sustainable games ecosystem in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) by supporting education and infrastructure. They provide tools and training for local developers, startups, and entrepreneurs as well.
"We're also supporting studios and companies like Side, Territory, and Feed Me Light as they establish operations in KSA, while also working with Saudi universities to embed game development into curricula," he added. "There remains significant opportunity as the ecosystem continues to mature."
Ward then shared his thoughts about Savvy's long-term investment strategy, including the acquisition of Scopely.
"I am delighted to see the continued success of Scopely, including surpassing $5 billion in gross bookings," he said. "It is also great that the team completed the acquisition of Niantic’s games business in 2025. This fits well with Savvy’s strategy and vision to build a portfolio of category-leading teams and supporting them to achieve their long-term ambitions, letting great teams do what they do best, with strategic and capital support where it adds the most value."
In terms of how the company decides which companies to back, Ward said he's interested in areas where Savvy Games Group can build category-leading positions.
"When it comes to investment, our focus is on opportunities that help us build category-leading positions, particularly in areas where we don't yet have such [a] presence. We also look for the right partnerships that would make a positive difference to our industry overall, whether through innovation in game development, esports infrastructure, or expanding access to the global games economy," he explained.
Savvy Games Group CEO Brian Ward on the future of esports
When asked about the Esports World Cup (EWC), Ward praised the engagement and community aspects of it and how that could help with building momentum. According to him, EWC 2025 brought together 2,500 professional players, welcomed more than 3 million visitors to Riyadh, and achieved more than 340 million hours watched with a peak concurrent audience of 7.5 million.
"For me, these results underline the growing power of esports as a global entertainment platform," Ward continued. "It reaches a highly engaged, digitally native audience that cuts across generations, and that’s increasingly attracting interest from non-endemic brands. You can see that momentum in the scale of partnerships coming on board, with [ESL FACEIT Group (EFG)] having built more than 130 partnerships, including Intel, Red Bull, DHL and Lamborghini."
In terms of what excites him the most about the future of esports, he shared how large-scale events like the EWC are evolving into cultural moments that are all about entertainment, community, and global reach. He added that more broadly, Saudi Arabia's National Games and Esports Strategy lays the foundations for a sustainable ecosystem.
"What excites me most are large-scale events like the hugely successful Esports World Cup, which are evolving beyond pure competition into cultural moments that combine entertainment, community, and global reach," Ward said. "These events highlight both the incredible skill and dedication of esports professionals and the scale of collaboration required behind the scenes to deliver them successfully."
He continued, "More broadly, Saudi Arabia’s National Games and Esports Strategy is laying the foundations for a sustainable ecosystem, from grassroots participation and talent development through to elite competition. Getting people involved early, whether as players, fans, or professionals, is critical, and that’s where the real long-term opportunity for the industry lies."
As for parting words, Ward pointed to the opportunities across Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
"There's a huge amount of opportunity across Saudi Arabia and the wider MENA region for games and esports. Anyone looking to enter new markets or build meaningful partnerships should be paying close attention to what is happening there," he said. "Let us know if we can help."
