Tag:

Tencent

Nexon reportedly considering acquisition bid from Tencent

by admin June 18, 2025

Tencent is reportedly considering a deal to acquire Nexon.

The Chinese megacorp – which recently struck up a deal with Ubisoft by developing a new operating model and subsidiary following a $1.25bn cash “injection” – shows no sign of slowing its acquisition business, with claims it “reached out to the family of Nexon’s late founder Kim Jung-ju to discuss the possibility of an acquisition.” Nexon’s market value is thought to be around $15 billion.

Bloomberg reports Kim’s family is considering the deal and has been “speaking to advisers and evaluating options,” according to sources close to the family. It’s thought Tencent is looking for “evergreen” franchises with established communities and strong revenue potential.

Neither Tencent nor Nexon has opted to comment publicly on the plans thus far.

As well as its recent deal with Ubisoft, Tencent has also recently increased its stake in FromSoftware parent company Kadokawa, Kuro Games, Wangyuan Shengtang, the Beijing-based developer behind action-RPG series Swords of Legends (or ‘Gujian’ as it is known in China), and loaned €15 million to Alan Wake 2 developer, Remedy.

Last week, Tencent won after a court found leaker Xiaopang Commentary had infringed the IP rights of Peacekeeper Elite, the Chinese version of PUBG Mobile.

Source link

June 18, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Tencent exploring MapleStory developer Nexon acquisition

by admin June 12, 2025

Tencent, a Chinese technology and holding company with a global footprint, is reportedly exploring the possibility of acquiring game developer and publisher Nexon.

Representatives from the tech company contacted the family of Nexon founder Kim Jung-ju to explore a potential deal, but no concrete terms have been reached and a deal is not guaranteed, according to Bloomberg.

Nexon is the South Korean video game developer behind the MapleStory series, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that first gained popularity in the early 2000s as a traditional PC game.

Web3 gaming continues to be a closely watched use case for blockchain technology as the ability to give players ownership over in-game assets could create an entirely new asset class and create tens of billions of dollars in capital.

MapleStory gameplay. Source: MapleStory

The company integrated blockchain technology in two different installments of the series, MapleStory N and MapleStory Universe, in May 2025, allowing users to collect in-game items and rewards in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTS).

Related: MapleStory revives Avalanche, tops 1M daily transactions twice in a week

Interest in Web3 gaming surges, but still far from mainstream

According to a February 2025 report from DappRadar, blockchain gaming activity surged by roughly 368% year-over-year in January 2025, driven by games like Off The Grid and the then-upcoming MapleStory N.

Off The Grid is a AAA shooter, published by Gunzilla Games, that features console-level graphics and gameplay similar to that of traditional video game blockbusters produced by major game studios.

This represented a significant departure from traditional Web3 games that typically feature simple gameplay mechanics, cartoonish graphics, and a focus on player rewards rather than robust gameplay.

Despite the initial spike in player interest that started in late 2024, Web3 gaming activity declined by 10%, reflected by a drop in daily unique active wallets, according to DappRadar.

While the crypto gaming sector remains healthy and titles such as MapleStory and Off The Grid reflect a shift to higher quality games focused on player experience, Web3 gaming still faces several headwinds.

Chief among these impediments to widespread Web3 gaming adoption are the technical barrier to entry of setting up a blockchain wallet and the traditional gaming community’s aversion to play-to-earn games and other tactics designed to fuse gaming and money.

Magazine: Can Off the Grid survive Steam’s crypto ban? Rage over Maplestory cheaters: Web3 Gamer

Source link

June 12, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Tencent wins IP lawsuit against Peacekeeper Elite leaker

by admin June 12, 2025

Tencent has won after a court found leaker Xiaopang Commentary had infringed the IP rights of Peacekeeper Elite, the Chinese version of PUBG Mobile.

As reported by PocketGamer.biz, the defendant, Li Moumou, was found to have infringed the IP rights of Peacekeeper Elite by datamining and “reverse-engineering the game” to obtain and then leak unannounced content, which they used for financial gain.

The defendant has been ordered to apologize, cease and desist, and pay unknown compensation to the megacorp.

Ubisoft recently “accelerated its transformation” by developing a new operating model and subsidiary following a $1.25bn cash “injection” from Chinese megacorp Tencent.

In a bid to “rapidly” evolve its operating model, Ubisoft has created a subsidiary based on its Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six brands, arguably the developer/publisher’s tentpole franchises. Through a “formal and competitive process,” Ubisoft selected Tencent to invest a minority stake of €1.16bn ($1.25bn) to focus on expanding those games’ “truly evergreen and multiplatform ecosystems.”

Source link

June 12, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Ubisoft, Roblox, Riot, and now Helldivers: Tencent just acquired a 15% stake in Arrowhead games

by admin June 6, 2025

Tencent has acquired a 15.75 percent stake in Arrowhead Games – the development studio behind Helldivers 2 – for $80m.

Tencent has previously founded or acquired shares in a variety of video game companies, including a new gaming venture with Ubisoft Games, total ownership of Riot Games, a major ownership position for 10 Chamber, and its own publishing arm Level Infinite.

Speaking to DI, founder John Pilestedt stated that bringing Tencent in as partial owners “opens up opportunities for China as a market. Gaining access to the Chinese player base is the holy grail in the gaming industry.”

Helldivers 2 just got a new Warbond yesterday too! Check it out!Watch on YouTube

The remaining 84.25 percent of shares are owned by Arrowhead founders Johan Pilestedt, Emil Englund, Malin Hedstrom, Peter Lindgren, and Anton Stenmark.

A recent financial report reviewed by DI stated Arrowhead had a turnover of 959m SEK, which is around £73,736,551 / $99,877,484.85 / €87,516,806.33, and an operating profit of 729m SEK which is £56,052,445.50 / $75,911,192.99 / €66,526,965.99. That’s a lot of cash!

Not too much of a surprise, considering Helldivers 2 was PlayStation’s fastest selling game ever. The game had recently found itself the stage for an invasion of Super Earth itself which revitalised the game’s player base to its highest point since that period of intense launch hype.

All the while Arrowhead bosses remain supportive of the pursuit of new and interesting ideas rather than trend chasing, with Pilestadt stating at GDC that the industry is doomed to “unnecessary layoffs” by “chasing after the battle royales”.

Source link

June 6, 2025 0 comments