Game Chinese juggernaut Tencent to gain “majority stake” in Dev Klei Entertainment

Follow from Vicarious Visions merge with BlizzardThe Chinese video game giant Tencent – known with titles like League of Legends And the Clash of tribes – You will acquire a “majority stake” in Klei Entertainment.

If you are not familiar with this Canadian developer, it is the studio behind games like do not starve And the Sign of the Ninja. Founder of Klei Entertainment, Jaime ‘Bigfoot’ Cheng, says Klei will retain “complete independence of creativity and operations in all aspects of the studio, including projects, talent and more”.

at Frequently asked questions on the Klei websiteCheng said there would be no immediate changes in the future to “employment, projects or other operations.” As for the reason behind the decision, it would allow the studio “not to worry about finances”, do their “best creative work” and navigate a changing industry.

“There are some tedious accounting changes that we will need to adapt to. Other than that, I will continue to operate the studio as before, without any changes to staffing, projects, or other processes.”

“Klei has been around for 15 years, and we have made many changes over the years in order to respond to a changing world. Constantly, my wish has been to enable people to do their best creative work, learn and grow, not have to worry about finances and be able to enjoy their lives. Outside the studio. That hasn’t changed. “

“This partnership helps us navigate a changing industry, and helps us focus on what we do best: create unique experiences that no one else can do.”

According to a report from Niko Partners Across GamesIndustry.biz, Tencent invested in 31 gaming industry deals last year – a new record for the company. This was a “mixture of acquisitions, mergers, small and big bets and rounds of financing.”

Some of these deals included a Minor share in PlatinumGames And a Share in Japanese publisher Marvelous. With the start of 2021, who knows what Tencent can get in the coming months.