Tencent Acquires Don't Starve and Mark of the Ninja Devs
Tencent has acquired a majority stake in Klei Entertainment. The founder of the studio known for Don't Starve and Mark of the Ninja assured that in practice nothing will change in the functioning of the team, which will retain full creative autonomy.
Tencent continues its conquest of the Western gaming market. After acquiring the creators of Warframe and Gears Tactics, the Chinese giant bought a majority stake in Klei Entertainment. Its founder, Jaime "Bigfoot" Cheng, announced the news on its official forum.
Cheng did not fail to reassure fans that in practice the move does not change anything in the functioning of the studio. It will retain full autonomy and staff, and all operations and projects of the company will be conducted as before. Bigfoot also explained that the decision is driven by a desire to ensure Klei Entertainment's financial stability and ability to "navigate the changing industry" so that the developers can focus on creating unique projects. That's why Tencent was chosen, as, according to Cheng, it was the only company willing to give the studio the freedom it wanted. The two companies had worked together before, and apparently Bigfoot had no major reservations about the Chinese giant's approach.
As you can easily guess, Klei Entertainment's assurances did not allay the fears of some gamers. The Canadian team has made a name for itself through a number of - as it puts it itself - unique productions, led by the constantly developed Don't Starve and Oxygen Not Included. The studio was also involved in releasing the unusual rhythm game Crypt of the NecroDancer on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Currently, the developers are working on Griftlands, which combines RPG and roguelike with card game elements, and the mobile Don't Starve: Newhome. Whether the cooperation with Tencent will influence Klei's following projects - we'll find out after some time.
