Tencent Archives

AppWizard

June 6, 2025

Tencent now owns 16% of Helldivers maker Arrowhead

Tencent has acquired a 15.75 percent stake in Arrowhead Games, valuing the studio at SEK 5.1 billion (approximately .8 million). The founders of Arrowhead Games retain 84.24 percent ownership. Arrowhead reported a turnover of SEK 959 million ([openai_gpt model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Summarize the content and extract only the fact described in the text bellow. The summary shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. Text: Chinese tech and entertainment titan Tencent has made a significant move in the gaming industry by acquiring a 15.75 percent stake in Arrowhead Games, the developer behind the popular title Helldivers 2. According to Swedish media outlet DI, Tencent's investment amounts to million, which places a valuation of SEK 5.1 billion (approximately 2.8 million) on Arrowhead. The founders of Arrowhead Games—Johan Pilestedt, Emil Englund, Malin Hedstrom, Peter Lindgren, and Anton Stenmark—retain the remaining 84.24 percent ownership of the studio. This strategic partnership not only underscores Tencent's growing influence in the gaming sector but also highlights Arrowhead's impressive financial performance, with a reported turnover of SEK 959 million (0.2 million) and a profit of SEK 729 million (.2 million). Success of Helldivers 2 Arrowhead's latest release, Helldivers 2, launched at the beginning of 2024, has garnered substantial acclaim, dominating the Steam charts for four consecutive weeks. Johan Pilestedt, the studio's chief creative officer and former CEO, expressed his pride in the team's accomplishments, stating, "It's fantastic fun, and I feel incredibly proud of what the team has managed to achieve. Above all, it's proof that what we do resonates with the player base." In discussing the implications of the Tencent partnership, Pilestedt remarked, "It also opens up opportunities for China as a market. Gaining access to the Chinese player base is the holy grail in the gaming industry." This sentiment reflects a broader trend in the gaming landscape, where access to the vast Chinese market is increasingly seen as a pivotal factor for success. In a notable leadership transition, Arrowhead promoted Shams Jorjani to the role of CEO in May 2024, signaling a new chapter for the studio as it navigates its growth trajectory in collaboration with Tencent." max_tokens="3500" temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" frequency_penalty="frequency_penalty"].2 million) and a profit of SEK 729 million ([openai_gpt model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Summarize the content and extract only the fact described in the text bellow. The summary shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. Text: Chinese tech and entertainment titan Tencent has made a significant move in the gaming industry by acquiring a 15.75 percent stake in Arrowhead Games, the developer behind the popular title Helldivers 2. According to Swedish media outlet DI, Tencent's investment amounts to million, which places a valuation of SEK 5.1 billion (approximately 2.8 million) on Arrowhead. The founders of Arrowhead Games—Johan Pilestedt, Emil Englund, Malin Hedstrom, Peter Lindgren, and Anton Stenmark—retain the remaining 84.24 percent ownership of the studio. This strategic partnership not only underscores Tencent's growing influence in the gaming sector but also highlights Arrowhead's impressive financial performance, with a reported turnover of SEK 959 million (0.2 million) and a profit of SEK 729 million (.2 million). Success of Helldivers 2 Arrowhead's latest release, Helldivers 2, launched at the beginning of 2024, has garnered substantial acclaim, dominating the Steam charts for four consecutive weeks. Johan Pilestedt, the studio's chief creative officer and former CEO, expressed his pride in the team's accomplishments, stating, "It's fantastic fun, and I feel incredibly proud of what the team has managed to achieve. Above all, it's proof that what we do resonates with the player base." In discussing the implications of the Tencent partnership, Pilestedt remarked, "It also opens up opportunities for China as a market. Gaining access to the Chinese player base is the holy grail in the gaming industry." This sentiment reflects a broader trend in the gaming landscape, where access to the vast Chinese market is increasingly seen as a pivotal factor for success. In a notable leadership transition, Arrowhead promoted Shams Jorjani to the role of CEO in May 2024, signaling a new chapter for the studio as it navigates its growth trajectory in collaboration with Tencent." max_tokens="3500" temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" frequency_penalty="frequency_penalty"].2 million). Helldivers 2, released in early 2024, has topped the Steam charts for four weeks. Shams Jorjani was promoted to CEO of Arrowhead in May 2024.

AppWizard

June 3, 2025

Lighthouse Games lands additional funding from Tencent

UK-based developer Lighthouse Games has received another round of funding from Tencent, although the exact amount is undisclosed. Founded in 2023 by Gavin Raeburn, the studio aims to accelerate the development of its inaugural title with this investment. This funding follows an earlier investment from Tencent in the same year, indicating a growing partnership. Lighthouse Games plans to enhance its operations in Leamington Spa to explore innovative creative avenues for their debut title in the driving genre.

AppWizard

May 20, 2025

What’s driving growth in the Chinese video game industry?

The Chinese game industry has experienced significant growth, with popular titles like Genshin Impact and Black Myth: Wukong driving global interest. Black Myth: Wukong sold 10 million copies within a week of its August 2024 launch and won Game of the Year at the 2024 Steam Awards. The single-player game market in China is becoming more sustainable, with a shift in focus due to the success of titles like Black Myth: Wukong. Developers are adapting their strategies, although challenges such as high production costs, competition, and issues related to work culture persist. Local governments are actively supporting game development through licensing, tax breaks, and grants, with initiatives aimed at integrating cultural themes into games. Despite layoffs in the industry, a robust social safety net exists to support affected employees.

AppWizard

May 13, 2025

Platkin joins letter pushing messaging app to stop fentanyl trafficking

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin has joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general to address concerns regarding the encrypted messaging app WeChat, which is believed to facilitate fentanyl trafficking in the United States. This group claims that WeChat enables traffickers to launder money, particularly through transactions from China to Mexico. They have urged the app to take immediate action against these "dangerous and unlawful" activities. The attorneys general emphasize a pattern of complicity by WeChat in facilitating money laundering related to fentanyl trafficking, with a DEA agent stating that criminal activities are openly occurring on the platform.

Tech Optimizer

April 24, 2025

TecentDB PostgreSQL will provide full support for PG 17

TencentDB for PostgreSQL has introduced robust security measures including data encryption, Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) isolation, and process monitoring for compliance with international standards. PostgreSQL 17.0 features enhanced logical replication with slot failover, performance optimizations such as batch I/O page read/write and improved Write-Ahead Logging, and operational enhancements like incremental backups and a transaction timeout parameter. Tencent has developed features for resource management, including fine-grained multi-tenant resource management with CPU resource isolation and process-level monitoring, as well as SQL throttling. Cold/hot data separation solutions include the 'cos_fdw' plugin for accessing cold data and the 'starocks_fdw' plugin for integrating with the StarRocks analytics engine. Security auditing has been improved with an Express Edition for basic needs and an Advanced Edition for broader audit coverage. These enhancements aim to balance performance and cost, maximize resource efficiency, and strengthen compliance.

AppWizard

March 27, 2025

English is no longer the biggest language on Steam as Chinese gamers embrace PC gaming even harder after Black Myth: Wukong

Mandarin is the most widely used language on Steam, with 33.7% of users selecting it as their primary language, followed closely by English at 33.5%. Over 66% of Steam users have chosen a primary language other than English. The popularity of games developed by Chinese companies, such as Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, has contributed to this trend. Chinese game developers often have significantly larger budgets and workforces compared to Japanese developers. Additionally, Mandarin speakers are not only from mainland China but also from Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia, with reports of the language being encountered in South Korea and Vietnam in 2023.

AppWizard

March 27, 2025

Tencent backs new Ubisoft subsidiary

Ubisoft has established a new subsidiary dedicated to its major franchises, including Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. This entity will manage both upcoming titles and the existing catalog, allowing for increased investment and development. Tencent has invested €1.16 billion for a 25 percent stake in this subsidiary, which is valued at approximately €4 billion. Ubisoft's current market capitalization is around €1.91 billion. The move is part of Ubisoft's strategy to transform its operating model and build strong game ecosystems. There have also been discussions about potentially selling some of Ubisoft's intellectual properties to companies like Microsoft and EA.

BetaBeacon

March 25, 2025

How to play Android games on your PC

Google Play Games for Windows allows users to play hundreds of Android games on a Windows PC running Windows 10 or later, as long as the computer has a solid state drive (SSD) as its boot drive and Virtualization support enabled in the BIOS settings. The app offers keyboard and mouse support for all games on the list.

AppWizard

March 23, 2025

Assassin’s Creed Shadows hits 2 million players, putting it on track to be the series’ most successful game yet

Assassin's Creed Shadows has gained over 2 million players just three days after its launch, surpassing the launches of AC Origins and Odyssey. It reached 1 million players within the first 24 hours, breaking the record previously held by AC Valhalla. Currently, Shadows has around 60,000 concurrent players, nearing Odyssey's record of 62,069. Ubisoft is in discussions with Tencent for a potential investment in a new intellectual property unit that includes the Assassin's Creed franchise. The game has received approximately 81.7% favorable reviews on Steam, with PC Gamer rating it at 80%.

Winsage

March 14, 2025

As Epic Games continue ignoring Linux / Steam Deck for Fortnite they’re putting it on Windows Arm

Epic Games announced on March 13th that they are expanding Fortnite and their Epic Online Services Anti-Cheat to support Windows Arm devices in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. This initiative aims to enhance accessibility for Fortnite on Windows on Snapdragon devices later this year. While Epic's Easy Anti-Cheat supports Linux, it lacks full kernel-level functionality, leading to some games withdrawing support for Linux. CEO Tim Sweeney has expressed skepticism about supporting Fortnite on the Steam Deck until it has a substantial user base. Despite challenges with the Epic Games Store, Epic remains focused on platforms that can deliver significant revenue, particularly as the Windows on Arm segment grows. The future of Fortnite on Linux is uncertain, but there is optimism regarding the Steam Deck's expanding user base, which logged 330 million hours in 2024, a 64% increase from the previous year.