Chinese powerhouse Tencent is making another major move in the video game industry. This time it’s another acquisition, something that they’ve been venturing in for the past few years. Their newest purchase is an American developer, Turtle Rock Studios, who is just coming off of fairly successful launch of their newest IP, Back 4 Blood. The announcement was made jointly, with Turtle Rock Studios stating that while they will become a part of Tencent, they will still maintain its independence when it comes to their operations.
Turtle Rock Co-founders Phil Robb and Chris Ashton state in the press release that “the acquisition will have no effect on Back 4 Blood.” In addition, Turtle Rock Studios will continue to be run by Robb and Ashton, as well as the remainder of the developers who are currently employed there. As we already mentioned, the studio’s newest IP, Back 4 Blood launched on October 8 and was well received by the community. This was especially evident by fans of the Left 4 Dead franchise, which was also a product of Turtle Rock Studios when they were working with Valve.
As for Tencent, this newest acquisition is just one of several that the tech giant has obtained over the years. This includes Sumo Group, Yager, Fatshark, and Wake Up Interactive. Let’s also not forget the fact that Tencent also owns Riot Games, the main developer of one of the most popular MMORPG’s in the world, League of Legends. Tencent has also invested in numerous video game companies, most of which are outside of their native China. The company’s growth outside of their own market in China is potential loophole for them, as the country recently implemented a new video game time restriction for anyone under the age of 18.