Gaming giant Tencent, which is Chinese in origin is focusing on expanding its presence internationally. It has changed its M&A focus slightly by planning to buy larger stakes in gaming companies internationally. This is due to the slow economic conditions in China.
Tencent’s initial focus was on its own markets and bought quite a few stakes, albeit minority ones. This helped the company remain a passive investor but with changing economic conditions, it is investing more in gaming companies. Buying has happened in quite a few European assets. According to reports, Tencent has been investing in overseas assets for quite a while time now.
As recently as in the first week of September 2022, indications were that Tencent raised its stakes in French Ubisoft. Ubisoft is an established presence in the video game arena and has a 49% stake in the Chinese. Tencent has the distinction of being the biggest gaming developer in terms of revenue, globally. This new deal with Ubisoft comes at a time when Tencent also acquired Sybo Games.
The Chinese giant is among many firms which have been investing in overseas markets. Sony is now the proud owner of gaming studios like Bungie, Insomniac Games, and others. Microsoft has also been ambitiously investing in new acquisitions like Activision Blizzard and other studios. Its recent acquisition of ZeniMax Media gives Microsoft access to well-known titles such as Elder Scrolls, Doom, and many others. Gaming companies like Tencent are now feeling the pressure to invest and buy larger stakes so that they can have a wider audience.
