Tencent Claims a Majority Share of Klei Entertainment

Tencent is at it again. The giant Chinese megafirm has once again invested a huge sum of money into yet another studio, claiming a majority share of the (former) indie developer Klei Entertainment, the folks behind Don't Starve, Mark of the Ninja, and Griftlands.

On the Klei Entertainment forum, the founder spoke on the acquisition:

I want to take a moment to announce that we have agreed to deal for Tencent to purchase a majority stake in Klei Entertainment.

As part of this agreement, Klei retains full autonomy of creative and operations across all aspects of the studio, including projects, talent, and more.

What’s going to change?
There are some boring accounting changes that we will need to adjust to. Other than that, I will continue running the studio as before, with no changes to staffing, projects or other operations.

Why are we doing this?
Klei has been around for 15 years, and we have made many changes over the years in order to respond to a changing world. Consistently, my wish has been to enable people to do their best creative work, to learn and grow, to not have to worry about finances, and be able to enjoy their lives outside the studio. This has not changed.

This partnership helps us navigate a changing industry, and helps us focus on what we do best: making unique experiences that no one else can.

Apparently, Tencent and Klei Entertainment already have a history together, with the former having published the latter's games in China in the past. Thus, they were a natural choice for the acquisition.

This means Klei has joined the ranks of Epic Games, Riot Games, Grinding Gears, PUBG, and other big-name and famous studios in the west. We hope it works out for them, of course, but we can't help but be suspicious all the same...