Klei Entertainment, developers of the independent hits Don’t Starve and Oxygen Not included today announced that they have agreed with Tencent, the media conglomerate that has made many purchases, to acquire a majority stake in the company. Klei’s founders say they will maintain “complete autonomy of creation 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 look at many different companies and, over the years, we have worked with a large number of publishers and distributors. Tencent is the only company that we think would allow us to maintain the level of control that we require.
“We have worked with Tencent for years and even where we disagreed, they were always willing to work with us to find the best solution for everyone involved and postpone when we felt strongest.”
Klei also mentioned that Chinese company Tencent helped launch Don’t Starve Together in China in 2016 and has helped with other Chinese releases since then, noting that players in China make up a large part of their players. “We do not expect significant operational changes in China or anywhere else in the world, but we hope that this partnership will help us better support our players in China,” they say.
It’s a similar statement – about retaining creative control – to Splash Damage and Digital Extremes, when its parent company, Leyou, was acquired by Tencent in late December.
Over the years, Tencent acquired names such as Riot Games, Funcom, Splash Damage and Digital Extremes, while buying stakes of various sizes in Epic Games, Ubisoft, Frontier Developments, Activision Blizzard, Paradox Interactive, Grinding Gear Games and more.
It may not be inherently bad, but the consolidation of the gaming industry remains something that we should all keep an eye on.