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Tencent Invests In Orcs Must Die Developer Robot Entertainment
Chinese powerhouse Tencent has made another investment in a North American developer. The latest to join the company’s roster is Robot Entertainment, the developer of the Orcs Must Die series.
While exact amounts have not been revealed, Tencent’s investment in Robot is a minority one. Tencent and Robot announced a collaboration in November to bring Orcs Must Die Unchained to China.
Robot joins a long list of gaming partnerships that the Chinese company has initiated in recent years. Tencent also publishes War Thunder, FIFA Online, Monster Hunter Online, and Korean MMO ArcheAge in its home country.
In addition to Robot, Tencent has investments in Epic Games, TapZen, Riot Games, and others. The company also partnered with Activision to bring Call of Duty Online to China. The firm’s interests are diverse, with non-gaming investments in Snapchat and other social and mobile tools.
Our Take
Tencent is an enormous player in North American gaming, though the company doesn’t often get a lot of attention here. Rather, it has paved the way for major publishers to enter the Chinese market through investment and partnership, giving companies ways to further monetize existing, popular franchises. This is a good move for Robot, which maintains control but has new capital with which to work.
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