As Microsoft continues to try and push through its mammoth Activision Blizzard deal, gaming industry consolidation continues elsewhere. Today, the team behind Dying Light at Techland has announced that Chinese mega-publisher Tencent will soon become its "majority shareholder" - effectively taking control of the company.
In a lengthy statement posted by Techland, the team goes into the reasoning behind this new "partnership" that's forming roughly 18 months after the launch of Dying Light 2, the developer's last game.
"Today I am happy to announce the partnership with Tencent who are in the process of becoming Techland's majority shareholder.
Teaming up with Tencent will allow us to move full speed ahead with the execution of the vision for our games. We have chosen an ally who has already partnered with some of the world's finest video game companies and helped them reach new heights while respecting their ways of doing things.
We will retain full ownership of our IPs, maintain creative freedom, and continue to operate the way we believe is right."
That final part is good to hear at least - we hope that Techland has the chance to make the games it wants to make after working on hard on the Dying Light series in recent years. For now we don't know the team's next full game project, but we do know that it plans to support Dying Light 2 for many, many years.
Would you like to see Techland do Dying Light 3 next? Or perhaps a return to 'Call of Juarez'? Let us know!
[source techland.net]
Comments 27
The MS dream continues. Lets all celebrate with Tencent taking a section of the industry and when they (and all the others) inevitably starts streaming it back to us for "good value", so we end up subscribing £500 a year to rent Zelda, Last of Us and Halo, the only 3 games we wanted, and we can shout about great value because we are renting 8,000 game we didn't want!
The more studios getting bought up the more worrying it gets
@StonyKL Well, Nintendo doesn't really seem all too interested in the sub model first - and they are absolutely dominating Sony and MS in this space - so ultimately it is what the customer wants.
Show where your allegiances lie by buying games not renting them I guess.
It isn't my problem. I'm only going to take part in something I personally find value in. I have so many good games lined up I could abandon buying a new game for the rest of my life and never approach finishing everything I errantly bought over the years. Something I am quite willing to do if it came to it. I dont need MS or Tencent and never will. But in the meantime - the cost is less than the value for me.
Yes sellout more to China. That's what everyone needs. 😒
I love the way they worded that...
They forgot to add:
"But Tencent is now the majority owner so they can change anything they feel like at any time."
"happy to announce the partnership" is right...
@StonyKL You act like MS is the market leader lol! Sounds like Blockbuster screaming at big bad Netflix and their "sTrEaMiNg SeRvIcEs"
@StonyKL or ...just a suggestion...why not buy the games you want then you won't have to get streaming services?
Really it's not rocket science
@Cashews lol what? The only way to access the library of retro games on Switch is via subscription. And the DLC pads...lol.
They don't even let you buy them outright.
That said, I'm sure this will lead to the same result of what happened to BlueHole. IE: nothing good.
I despise Tencent BUT from what I've gathered, they never tried to shut down or limit their US/EU studios in any way. It's basically like SELL GAMES, MAKE US MONEY, WE'LL FUND YOUR PROJECTS type of relationships.
Another studio i won't buy games. No more money to china.
I mean I’m not happy about Tencent, but if they were struggling financially then it’s better to see this than have them go under. Don’t know the financial situation though.
@Rmg0731 the only person here complaining about consolidation also complained about the ABK acquisition. No one else is complaining about consolidation, but about the repercussions of Chinese control of western media. We already have seen a lot of censorship due to Chinese influence in gaming, so its understandable.
Are they gonna censor the blood in the Dying Light games with 'white fluid' like in the Chinese version of Spy x Family?
So if someone becomes the majority shareholder, they have full control of the company?
Shouldn't the creator of this article point out Tencent is the communist Chinese party?
Bing chilling
@InterceptorAlpha sorry I wasn't clear at all. What I meant was Nintendo isn't pushing subs like the other two. Imho they are a physical first company. Or simply, they don't care which you buy as long as you buy it.
That said, I think Nintendo has the best sub of the three. Close second is MS. Sony isn't in the conversation. Thiers is an embarrassment.
Maybe with Chinese Influence they can make Dying Light 3 not be a bore. I quickly grew bored of Dying Light 2 it lost so much character that was in the original.
@CutchuSlow technically, no. They have a lot of voting power, but they don’t actually make all calls in a vacuum. They do have enough voting power to threaten the CEO out if they are not satisfied with their work, but at the end of the day the CEO works for all the shareholders, not just the majority one, and must look out for all of their interest.
@Cashews not only does Nintendo push their Nintendo Online + “Expansion Pack” (ie: premium/ultimate tier) but they are the only ones that force you into that membership if you want to play any of the games offered in its library.
Well, it was a good series while it lasted.
@Martsmall I'm not sure if you understood my post. Yes thats fine for now but as with Netflix, HBO max and so on they don't let you always buy films and thats changing more and more. I'm concerned 10 years in the future this is where things will be at.
@Cashews you said it perfectly. For the meantime... All studios being owned by a handful of major corporations means things will eventually change
@Trmn8r they effectively are the market leader by revenue and spend. They have the power to change how the industry works along with the handful of other major corporations. Bit like how Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE are affectively changing the sports industry without having the best leagues. Man city struggle to sell all their tickets but are one of the biggest changes in the sport with their colossal spending.
@ChromeMud my post wasn't about MS it was about all of them and the dangers these buyouts potentially cause. This article was about TenCent who (I could be wrong) are not MS. I was slightly sarcastic because I was interested in how 99% of this site was pro buyouts when it came to Bethesda and ABK but wondered how pro they are once Chinese and Saudi Arabian companies or governments start owning all the studios. You're attitude is to defend MS at all costs, my attitude is to defend my hobby as much as I can. I currently own the big 3 and don't want any of them to buy all the studios.
@Sifi Thanks you for backing my concerns up
@StonyKL if your gonna worry about the future maybe worry whether the earth will still be around in 10 years ,what's the point no one knows ,for all we know by then games could be downloaded to our brains , same with films
Most films can still be gotten and as long as ppl are still buying physical and in large numbers they aren't going to stop it , I'm not going to worry about 10 years in the future there are far more important things to worry about like will I have to get a mortgage to pay my gas bill soon lol only joking but you get my meaning
@Martsmall agreed ha! After gaming for 35 years it would be a shame for it to become even less accessible for everyone - but you're right. At my age I should worry more about will I still be able to game in 10 years! Surely arthritis in my wrists and thumbs will have set in by then!
@StonyKL honestly if they are going To do it they will , now digital sales are more than physical soon all honesty the ppl have spoken , if ppl stopped buying digital tomorrow they wouldn't go that route but of course they won't, I don't like it as much as you but untill ppl as a whole agree it's not going to change , eg all the ps fans on ps saying they won't buy a acti game cause of the Microsoft deal ...yet they will still go out in droves to get the latest cod so they can play with their friends
Edit
It's just something we have to get used to ( that change ) just like I have to get used to my neighbour showing off what she eats every friggin day on FB !!!! Who'd have thought at our age that ppl would b doing that ? Lol
@StonyKL They effectively aren't lol! Microsoft being a larger corporation doesn't make XBox the gaming market leader...
@Trmn8r @ChromeMud Not sure if I can make my thoughts out very clearly as to why I don't like all this (but I'll try). Nothing specific to MS and/or TenCent - but yes, Sony are biggest earners but thats just because they are currently better at what they do. But quick google (difficult to find anything other than revenue, but studio size and employer numbers) shows MS supposedly have 221,000 employers in the gaming industry while Sony have half that at 113,000 (that was in 2020-2021 FY so probably changed - especially as ABK and Zenimax aren't small studios). Suggests to me MS are arguably the biggest publisher in size, but just not in success. I'm sure the success may come in future to the detriment of Nintendo and Sony - thats not really my point, my concern was having companies like MS, Apple, Amazon who are big enough to 'own' so much of the industry is a prospect I don't like (I don't include Sony because I can't see them ever becoming comparably as big).
Nothing wrong with you guys being happy with that - but if at any point, PIF or TenCent decide to copy the MS approach of buying up all the studios and 'rent' all the games back to us then I don't like it. It's a lot more realistic than worrying about what Sony are up to. I actually think if MS are too successful to "Spend Sony out of business" as they put it, then some of these huge corporations may end up buying Sony out eventually and may actually be able to complete financially with MS.
Hey, I enjoy these discussions on these forums - its sort of the point of them. I went through the death of Blockbusters with streaming 'never to be the future' and x years on I'm in a position of paying £192 a year for netflix + £90 a year for Prime but still unable to watch Ted Lasso or The Mandalorian for example.
But thanks for the input. Who knows what the next big gaming 'Shock!' will be - or my next terrible rant 😂
@StonyKL I hear what you are saying, but you don't grade a market by employees, but by profit share.
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