Three days before the start of BlizzCon 2021, the Saudi Arabian Investment Fund, managed by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has purchased $1.4 billion worth of Activision-Blizzard stock. It also bought Electronic Arts and Take-Two shares worth 1.07 billion and 825 million respectively. By his own admission, the crown prince's favorite distraction is Call of Duty. He is now also expressing his passion for Western game developers with an investment through the Saudi Arabian investment fund.
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What does this mean for Activision Blizzard?1.4 billion USD is a lot of money, but in the financial dimensions in which Activision Blizzard, or rather its stock, moves, it doesn't matter too much. ATVI stock is freely traded and can be purchased by anyone. With 1.4 billion USD, the Saudi Arabian investment fund holds "only" two percent of ATVI shares and thus has no power, say in decisions or the like.
The fact that the Saudi Arabian fund invests in companies from the USA is also nothing new. Among others, Saudi Arabia's state fund owns shares in Disney, Facebook, Magic Leap, Uber, Lucid Motors, Virgin Galactic, Cisco and Boeing. In total, over $450 billion worth of assets are managed under it. So it can't be said that Saudi Arabia is now fully into the gaming business either. So this doesn't mean anything particularly good or bad financially for Activision Blizzard, although this news might attract new investors.
