Tencent is adding to its already large roster of video game studios by acquiring Slamfire, the parent company of Back 4 Blood developer Turtle Rock Studios. Turtle Rock will be “retaining its independent operations” in California and the current leadership team will still run the studio, according to a press release.
Tencent is acquiring Back 4 Blood developer Turtle Rock Studios
Tencent is behind some of the biggest games on the planet
Tencent is behind some of the biggest games on the planet
is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.
Tencent is behind some of the biggest games on the planet. It owns the studio behind the hugely popular MOBA League of Legends; the developer of the mobile hits Call of Duty: Mobile, Honor of Kings, and Pokémon Unite; and has a 40 percent stake in Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite and Unreal Engine. And the company has made many significant investments just this year, including acquiring British game studio Sumo, buying a majority stake in Don’t Starve developer Klei Entertainment, and taking minority stakes in Yooka-Laylee creator Playtonic, DayZ developer Bohemia Interactive, Life is Strange-maker Dontnod, and Alan Wake and Control developer Remedy Entertainment.
“We can now ensure that the ‘Back 4 Blood’ franchise is here to stay”
While it’s unclear exactly what’s next for Turtle Rock, the studio is emphasizing its commitment to Back 4 Blood (which got a big update just this week). With Tencent’s acquisition, “we get to do something we have never done before as a studio: turn a universe we created into a true long-standing AAA franchise,” Turtle Rock said in a blog post. “We can now ensure that the Back 4 Blood franchise is here to stay and we will be working on it well into the future.”
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