China’s Bytedance eyes sale of gaming unit Moonton, speaking to potential buyers

TikTok owner ByteDance is discussing the sale of its gaming unit Moonton Technology with potential buyers, two years after it acquired the Shanghai-based studio in a deal that valued it at $4 billion, five people familiar with the matter said.

Shanghai-based Moonton, which has developed the popular mobile game “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang”, was acquired by ByteDance in 2021. At the time, it was seen as ByteDance’s biggest commitment to become a major player in the $187 billion global video games market.