Chinese Tech Giant Tencent has further increased its reach in the video game world, this time acquiring a 100% stake in the small Swedish development studio Sharkmob.
In a press release issued today, Tencent noted that the acquisition of the company, located in Malmö, Sweden, will help further their track record for high quality, online games with open world settings.
"We view the future of online gaming the same way and Tencent being a leading internet and games platform gives Sharkmob the reach and resources to be a part of that future," stated Sharkmob CEO Fredrik Rundqvist. "Support from Tencent's incredible group of game teams will allow us to fully pursue our passion of bringing great gaming experiences to as many players as possible."
Sharkmob was formed in 2017 by several industry veterans coming from major studios such as Ubisoft and IO Interactive. The team has been working on an unannounced online game since then, and with the acquisition by Tencent, several new projects are also in their planning stages.
Tencent is one of China's largest growing technology companies, founded in Shenzhen, China in 1998. The company launched Tencent Games in 2004, and has expanded its international reach with the acquisition of Riot Games in 2011, along with partial ownership of popular online battle royale titles Fortnite and Player Unknown Battlegrounds. Tencent currently has minority ownership in several major gaming producers, including Ubisoft (5%), Activision Blizzard (5%), Paradox Interactive (5%) and Epic Games (40%), along with majority ownership in other developers, such as Grinding Gear Games. With these investments, several projects, mostly for the online mobile market, are currently in the works. Tencent has also launched their own online store, WeGame in 2017, with an international version, WeGame X, currently available for early access.
Currently, no release dates or details on Sharkmob's current project have been revealed.
What are your thoughts on this acquisition? What kind of game are you hoping to see from Sharkmob? Leave your comments below.
