Saudi Arabia has increased its ownership in Capcom to 10% following a new acquisition by the Electronic Gaming Development Company (EGDC), an entity linked to Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's MISK Foundation. According to Gamebiz.jp, EGDC purchased a 5% stake, described as a "pure investment," which combined with the existing 5% held by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) brings the country's total share to approximately 10%. This move involved acquiring an additional 26.78 million shares in the developer and publisher.
The stake increase coincides with Capcom's Resident Evil Requiem achieving a significant sales milestone, having sold six million copies to become the fastest-selling installment in the horror franchise since its inception in Raccoon City three decades ago.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a controversial figure, has been actively investing in major international gaming companies, including Take-Two, EA, and Activision Blizzard. Additionally, a subsidiary of his foundation holds nearly complete ownership of SNK Corporation, a Japanese video game hardware and software firm.
This expansion follows recent industry concerns over Saudi Arabia's growing influence in gaming. Late last year, Ubisoft employees expressed unease about the company's partnership with Saudi Arabia to develop new DLC for Assassin's Creed Mirage. The DLC, announced quietly via a social media post in late August, will feature protagonist Basim exploring AlUla, an ancient site now promoted as a cultural highlight of Saudi Arabia.
In related developments, content creators for The Sims 4 are exiting EA's Creator Network in protest after EA confirmed it is set to be acquired by an investor group that includes Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), along with Silver Lake and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners.
