Riot Games, Epic Games, Netmarble, and Kakao. What do these companies have in common? If you said that they’re all companies we talk about here on Massively Overpowered, you’d be right; if you said that they were all companies that are owned in some part by Tencent, you would also be right. And if one of the names on that list prompted a raised eyebrow, it’s probably a good idea to take a look at Polygon’s breakdown of just how much investment Tencent has everywhere in the gaming world.
It’s not exactly news that Tencent is the biggest video game company in the world, but you might not realize, for example, that it has its hands in Ubisoft, Leyou, Funcom, Discord, Grinding Gear Games, Roblox, and even Activision-Blizzard. Let’s not forget the recently purchased Inflexion, either. That’s an extensive reach, and while many of these ownership stakes fall far short of total control, it still shows just how far Tencent has gone to have influence and integration in the video game industry worldwide. It’s not just about breaking into the Chinese market; the Chinese market has come to us all.
