Saudi Arabia Investment Company Acquires Major Stake in Capcom
It has been a big year for Capcom, and Saudi-based Electronic Gaming Development Company (EGDC) is buying a large portion of shares in the company. Capcom is still fresh off the release of its latest hit, Resident Evil Requiem, but the company has more titles, like Pragmata and Onimusha: Way of the Sword, scheduled for the rest of 2026.
Resident Evil Requiem was one of the first major releases of the year, and it has already proven to be a huge success for Capcom, with the new entry in the beloved zombie action series breaking franchise sales records. Resident Evil Requiem‘s sales numbers have hit an impressive 6 million copies in less than a month. Such a strong start to the year is good news for Capcom, and EGDC seems to have taken note of those numbers.
EGDC has bought a 5.03% stake in Capcom, according to a report from Japanese news outlet GameBiz. A report was submitted to the Kanto Local Finance Bureau on March 13, confirming the stake that EGDC had claimed in the company. This means that EGDC owns around 26,788,500 of Capcom’s shares. Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is the owner of EGDC through his Misk Foundation, a non-profit formed in 2011 that has been aimed at focusing on subjects like education, media, and culture.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
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This isn’t EGDC’s first step into gaming, either. Back in 2022, EGDC bought 33.3% of SNK Corporation, the owners of game franchises like Fatal Fury, The King of Fighters, and Metal Slug. By 2022, EGDC had managed to acquire 96.18% of SNK Corporation. It’s important to note that EGDC is not the same Saudi Arabian investment firm as the Public Investment Fund (PIF) that has invested in EA. Saudia Arabia investing in gaming has been on the rise lately, and Capcom is unlikely to be the last major publisher and developer that firms like EGDC and the PIF buy into.
The Recent Deal Between EA and PIF Was One of Last Year’s Biggest Gaming Stories
EGDC’s 5.03% take in Capcom is significant, but the PIF’s purchase of EA turned a lot of heads last year. The deal is worth an estimated $55 billion, making it one of the biggest company acquisitions in gaming history. If the deal actually goes through, Saudi Arabia would own the majority of EA with around 93.4%. The transaction is expected to close around Q1 2027, but that is also dependent on whether it’s approved by regulatory bodies.
Many of the PIF’s gaming investments are directly owned through the firm’s subsidiary, Savvy Games Group.
The PIF also owns a 5% stake in Capcom. The firm bought into the company back in 2022. With the PIF already invested in major gaming companies like Nintendo, Embracer Group, and Take-Two Interactive, it’s going to be interesting to see if EGDC decides to buy stakes in these companies down the road, too. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Saudi Arabia’s investments, especially with accusations that the PIF is responsible for human rights abuses.
As the year continues, it will be interesting to see if either the EGDC or the PIF buy into any more gaming companies. Despite issues like major layoffs and game cancellations, the industry has continued to grow rapidly. The COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in progress, but a lot of developers and publishers have managed to bounce back from that. Now that Sony and Microsoft are discussing next-gen consoles, like the latter’s Project Helix, and looking to the future, investment firms like the PIF and EGDC are going to be eyeing the industry even more closely.
Source: GameBiz