Well-known game developer Platinum Games has announced that they have received a capital investment from Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent. Platinum Games is a prolific studio known for action games such as the Bayonetta series and Astral Chain.
Tencent is a Chinese company that has been involved in the video game market since the early 2000s and became the largest video game company in the world in 2018. One of its most notable subsidiaries is popular developer and creator of the massive League of Legends, Riot Games. In addition to their ownership of Riot Games, Tencent also holds significant stakes in high profile game publishers like Epic Games, Activision Blizzard, and Ubisoft. The company continues to expand its reach in the video game industry, but the infusion of capital for Platinum Games is a little different than what analysts have come to expect.
Platinum Games (via GameSpot) has now announced via a statement from their CEO Kenichi Sato that they have received a capital investment from Tencent "as a basis for partnership." Sato insists that this investment will have "no effect on the independence of our company" and that it intends to use the capital to explore self-publishing in addition to game development. Sato also expresses hopes that this partnership will allow Platinum Games to explore their craft from a wider global perspective, something that an international conglomerate like Tencent is certainly well suited for.
Platinum Games has announced some high-profile projects set to release in 2020. These projects include Bayonetta 3 and Babylon's Fall, which was announced during E3 2018 but remained shrouded in mystery up until its debut trailer during Sony's State of Play last month. Multiple further announcements have been planned for later in the year, although what those reveals could be aren't currently known.
Platinum Games has some considerable pedigree in the field of action games, as Astral Chain review scores were very favorable. However, despite the assurances of Kenichi Sato, the implications of what this might mean for Platinum's independence moving forward are somewhat worrying. The amount of money that has been invested in the company remains undisclosed by both parties. If Tencent's investment is truly just a boon to an already strong development company, then gamers should have a lot to look forward to in the coming year. It remains to be seen just what plans Tencent has for Platinum Games, just as it remains to be seen what plans Platinum has in store for the new year.
Source: Platinum Games (via GameSpot.com)