Tencent Acquires Majority Stake in Path of Exile Developer

Tencent added another studio to its expansive portfolio by acquiring a majority stake in Path of Exile developer Grinding Gear Games.

The developers announced the new partnership with the Chinese gaming giant recently while stressing that the studio will remain an independent organization. Tencent was already working with Grinding Gear Games to publish the game in China prior to this majority share acquisition, but the devs say that it won't impact the development of the game.

Tencent that gamers will recognize from massive games like League of Legends and Clash of Clans with the publisher holding significant portions of shares in many companies, often holding a majority like it does now with Grinding Gear Games. The developers cited the publisher's size and success as reasons for building on the existing partnership as opposed to going with a different company.

"Tencent is one of the largest companies in the world and also one of the largest games publishers in the world," the devs' announcement said. "Tencent owns giant franchises like League of Legends and Clash of Clans and has a strong reputation for respecting the design decisions of developers and studios they invest in, allowing a high level of autonomy in continuing to operate and develop their games.

"We have been approached by many potential acquirers over the last five years, but always felt that they didn't understand Path of Exile, or that they had other agendas (like signing users up to their services). Tencent's agenda is clear: to give us the resources to make Path of Exile as good as it can be."

Addressing other concerns Path of Exile players may have about the acquisition, Grinding Gear Games said that the game won't become pay-to-win. The Chinese version of the game also won't be prioritized over other regions, but the devs did point out that they hope to close the gap between when other regions and China get updates with the Chinese releases coming weeks afterwards. It was also said that the Chinese version won't get features before others do, though the studio added that Tencent may request features in the Chinese version that could end up being a suitable fit for everyone.

"We develop almost all features on the international version. But sometimes, Tencent will request features that they want to try in the Chinese version that we don't plan to roll into the international version. If those features turn out to be a really good fit for both versions, then we of course port them back into the international version."

Grinding Gear Games closed by saying that there are many more plans for Path of Exile including "really big plans for future expansions."