Recent years have seen several billion-dollar acquisitions and mergers occur in the gaming industry, and it seems the trend isn’t slowing down soon. Although the shake-up could lead to studios receiving the capital they need to execute more ambitious ideas, it also comes at the risk of creating anti-competitive monopolies.
Techland is one of the latest studios to make headlines, as it has recently been revealed that Tencent is in the process of becoming a majority stakeholder in the studio.
Tencent and Techland
Founded in 1991, Techland is a Polish studio most known for the first-person survival horror franchise Dying Light. On July 24, the studio announced that Tencent is in the process of becoming a majority stakeholder in Techland. This move was motivated by the belief that “the best, boldest dreams can only be achieved while working side-by-side with like-minded friends and strong partners”.
Although it is a big step for Techland, the studio has assured players that it still has its sight on making Dying Light the “ultimate zombie game experience for players worldwide”. Furthermore, Paweł Marchewka will continue to serve as CEO.
Tencent, a massive Chinese tech and entertainment conglomerate, has its fingers in quite a few pies. In addition to its 40% stake in Fortnite‘s Epic Games, it also has a 100% stake in Back 4 Blood‘s Turtle Rock Studios and a 9.99% stake in Ubisoft, to name but a few of its foreign investments.
Microsoft has also been growing its stable of gaming studios, with the Activision Blizzard acquisition having been recently approved by the European Union. This will have a massive impact on the gaming landscape, though Microsoft and Sony have agreed to keep Call of Duty a multiplatform title, at least for now.
