Following the merger of Vicarious Visions with Blizzard, it has now been announced that Chinese video game giant Tencent is known for titles such as League of Legends and Clash of Clans – acquires a “majority stake” in Klei Entertainment.
If you’re not familiar with this Canada-based developer, this is the studio behind games like Don’t starve and sign of the Ninja. Klei Entertainment’s founder, Jaime “Bigfoot” Cheng, says Klei will “retain complete autonomy from creativity and operations in all aspects of the studio, including projects, talent and more.”
In an FAQ on Klei’s website, Cheng explained that there would be no immediate changes in “staffing, projects or other operations” in the future. As for the reason behind this decision, it allows the studio to “not worry about finances,” do their “best creative work,” and navigate a changing industry.
“There are some boring accounting changes that we have to adapt to. Other than that, I will continue to run the studio as before, with no changes in staff, projects or other activities.”
“Clay has been around for 15 years and we have made many changes over the years to respond to a changing world. My wish has always been to enable people to do, learn and grow their best creative work, to don’t have to worry about finances and enjoy life outside of the studio. This hasn’t changed. “
“This partnership will help us navigate a changing industry and focus on what we do best: gaining unique experiences that no one else can.”
According to a report by Niko Partners via GamesIndustry.biz, Tencent invested in 31 deals related to the games industry last year – a new record for the company. This was a “mix of acquisitions, mergers, small and large holdings, and financing rounds”.
Some of these deals include a small stake in PlatinumGames and a stake in Japanese publisher Marvelous. With 2021 just getting underway, who knows what else Tencent could buy in the coming months.