Two developers have joined Tencent’s ranks following a deal with ByteDance.
Per Reuters, the two teams have formed a single entity dubbed “Saluosi.” At present, it sounds as though both studios will still work on their respective projects, an action game and an anime title.
ByteDance revealed in November 2023 it was looking to fully exit the game industry. In January, Tencent was reportedly interested in buying its assets, like Crystal of Atlan.
To date, much of Tencent’s 2024 news has been more about its business than games released. In recent months, it’s gained partial (or full) ownership of Techland and Wangyuan Shengtang.
Tencent’s mobile issues
These deals come as Tencent’s struggled with creating mobile spinoffs for beloved titles like Nier and Elden Ring. Some of that can be attributed to alleged rights issues between it and the games’ respective developers.
CEO Pony Ma previous said he felt Tencent had an uneventful 2023 compared to other developers. Grabbing ByteDance’s abandoned studios technically counts as something, but Tencent’s situation isn’t helped by China’s tightening playtime restrictions and a larger industry uncertainty.
About the Author(s)
Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
A Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don’t ask him about how much gum he’s had, because the answer will be more than he’s willing to admit.
