The spending spree of Chinese company Tencent continues as Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic confirms it has sold a minority stake to the technology firm. The investment will be used to expand the studio from a single team to multiple, improve the developer's headquarters, and expand to new locations. Playtonic retains full creative control of its IPs and new hirings will be focused on diverse talent close to home and afar.
In a press release, Playtonic founder Gavin Price explains how the investment allows the company to increase the scale and speed up development of the projects it currently has under wraps. "Six years ago we built a cool, exciting rocket ship, set a course we think is right and exciting. We are thrilled that Tencent agrees with that course and has provided some rocket fuel to further the reach of our mission!"
Over the past year, Tencent has invested in the likes of Life Is Strange creator DONTNOD and wholly acquired Sackboy: A Big Adventure developer Sumo Digital. Playtonic is best known for Yooka-Laylee and Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, but through a publishing label set up earlier this year, it has also helped to put out Demon Turf and BPM: Bullets Per Minute. This surge of cash from Tencent looks to bolster both the company's development efforts as well as commitments to publishing other titles.
Comments 9
That is really sad to hear...
And another one bites the dust.
Always disappointing to read whenever a game company sells a piece of its soul to Tencent for that CCP money.
Me with cutesy mascot platformers on one side and communist dictatorship blood money on the other.
@johncalmc The way forward is clear. A Winnie the Pooh mascot platformer!
You would have thought they'd be against selling any of their business since the whole reason they exist is that they are the original RARE team that broke away from Microsoft.
Strange. I hope it doesn't impact their quality. I loved Yooka-Laylee and it felt like taking a step back in time to the 90's playing them.
Edit. Also I don't know a lot about Tencent but I hear a lot of people claim they are bad. Can anyone explain why?
@GADG3Tx87 Tencent is a corporate arm of the Chinese government. Effectively no real difference between the two other than the name of which branch. So what benefits Tencent also benefits the government perpetuating untold human rights abuses.
@GADG3Tx87 makes sense now after playing The Impossible Lair
Whomever on this or PureXbox suggested I play this game…I finally got around to it! Thank you. It’s hard and fun. A winning combo
@GADG3Tx87 What @willi3su said, but I still have faith that future games won't be influenced much.
Not enough to stop me from buying them.
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