Klei Entertainment, developers of independent hits Don’t Starve and Oxygen Not Included, announced today that they have agreed that Tencent, the media conglomerate that has been buying a lot, will acquire a majority stake in the company. Klei’s founders say they will maintain “full autonomy of creativity and operations in all aspects of the studio.”
Klei made the announcement today in a post where they explain why they chose Tencent and what they believe the partnership will help them achieve.
“We looked at many different companies and, over the years, we have worked with a large number of publishers and distributors. Tencent is the only company we believe would allow us to maintain the level of control we demand.
“We’ve been working with Tencent for years and even at points where we disagree, they were always willing to work with us to find the best solution for everyone involved and differ from us when we feel strong. “.
Klei also mentions that Chinese company Tencent helped them launch Don’t Starve Together in China in 2016 and that they have collaborated on other Chinese releases since then, noting that Chinese players make up a large part of the its players. “We don’t expect significant operational changes for China or anywhere else in the world, but we hope this partnership will help us better support our players in China,” they say.
It is a similar statement, on the preservation of creative control, to that of Splash Damage and Digital Extremes when Tencent acquired its parent company Leyou in late December.
Over the years, Tencent has acquired games such as Riot Games, Funcom, Splash Damage and Digital Extremes while buying stakes in various sizes at Epic Games, Ubisoft, Frontier Developments, Activision Blizzard, Paradox Interactive, Grinding Gear Games and more.
It may not be intrinsically bad, but consolidating the gaming industry is still something we should all keep in mind.