video game publishing
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that have been developed either internally by the publisher or externally by a video game developer.
They often finance the development, sometimes by paying a video game developer ...
subdivision
Subdivision may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Subdivision (metre), in music
* ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009
* "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2)
* ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005
* "Subdivisions" (song), by Rush ...
of Tencent Interactive Entertainment, the digital entertainment division of
Tencent Holdings
Tencent Holdings Ltd. ( zh, s=腾讯, p=Téngxùn) is a Chinese multinational technology conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is one of the highest grossing multimedia companies in the world based on revenue. It is ...
. It has five internal studio groups, including TiMi Studio Group. Tencent Games was founded in 2003 to focus on
online game
An online game is a video game that is either partially or primarily played through the Internet or any other computer network available. Online games are ubiquitous on modern gaming platforms, including PCs, consoles and mobile devices, a ...
s. In 2021, it launched its international Level Infinite brand, which is stated to be operated from its
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
office.
History
Tencent Games published its first game ''QQ Tang'' () in 2004, which is based on its social media platform QQ. This was soon followed by QQ variant games such as ''
Dungeon Fighter Online
''Dungeon Fighter Online'', known in South Korea as ''Dungeon & Fighter'', is a multiplayer beat 'em up action role-playing game, developed and published for personal computers by Neople, a South Korean subsidiary of Nexon, and originally publi ...
'', a
side-scrolling
A side-scrolling video game (alternatively side-scroller) is a video game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling grap ...
online
beat 'em up
A beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in Side-scrolling video game, scrolling, 2D c ...
game; ''QQ Fantasy'', a 2D online game that incorporates elements from Chinese mythology; ''Xunxian'', a 3D, online
RPG
RPG may refer to:
Military
* Rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon
**''Ruchnoi Protivotankoviy Granatomyot'' (Russian: ''Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт''), hand-held anti-tank grenade laun ...
; ''QQ Sanguo'', an online casual role-playing game set during the
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...
period; ''QQ Huaxia'', an online RPG; ''QQ Dancer'', an online musical dancing game that offers QQ IM interactivity; ''QQ Nanaimo'', an online game set on a desert island where players maintain houses and pets; '' QQ Speed'', a casual online racing game; ''QQ R2Beat'', an online in-line skating game; ''QQ Tang'', an "advanced casual game" with gameplay derived from Chinese literature; ''QQ PET'', and a QQ IM-based desktop virtual pet game.Products and Services > Interactive Entertainment Service Tencent official Site Tencent published Chinese versions of Smilegate Entertainment's
Crossfire
A crossfire (also known as interlocking fire) is a military term for the siting of weapons (often automatic weapons such as assault rifles or sub-machine guns) so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I.
...
from 2007 and
Hi-Rez Studios
Hi-Rez Studios is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was established in 2005 by Erez Goren and Todd Harris. Hi-Rez Studios' games include the squad-based shooter ''Global Agenda'', the critically acclaimed '' Tribes: Asc ...
'
Smite
''Smite'' is a 2014 free-to-play third-person multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Hi-Rez Studios for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Amazon Luna.Mobile QQ and
WeChat
WeChat or Weixin in Chinese ( zh, c=微信, p=Wēixìn , l=micro-message) is an instant messaging, social media, and mobile payment mobile app, app developed by Tencent. First released in 2011, it became the world's largest standalone mobile a ...
in the upcoming years. In order to become the biggest online gaming firm in the world, the company concentrated on the global gaming market, investing in or aggressively purchasing foreign game companies.
In 2015, Tencent Games published a
multiplayer online battle arena
Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) is a Video game genre, subgenre of strategy video games in which two teams of Gamer, players compete on a structured battlefield, each controlling a single Player character, character with distinctive abilit ...
game ''
Honor of Kings
''Honor of Kings'' (, unofficially translated as "King's Glory", or alternatively transliterated as Wangzhe Rongyao) is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed by TiMi Studio Group and published by Tencent Games for iOS, ...
'' () exclusively for the Mainland China markets developed by the L1 division of TiMi Studio Group, and by 2017 was both the world's most popular and highest-grossing game of all time as well as the most downloaded app globally. Tencent Games also released, under the brand Level Infinite, an international version of ''Honor of Kings'' named ''
Arena of Valor
''Arena of Valor'' (), formerly ''Strike of Kings'', is an international adaptation of '' Honor of Kings'' (), a multiplayer online battle arena developed by TiMi Studio Group and published by Level Infinite for Android, iOS and Nintendo Switc ...
'' in 2017. In 2011, Tencent Games started hosting
online multiplayer game
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity, and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed as "on lin ...
Call of Duty
''Call of Duty'' is a first-person shooter military video game series and media franchise published by Activision, starting in 2003. The games were first developed by Infinity Ward, then by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. Several spin-of ...
'' titles with added content, as well as the game ''
League of Legends
''League of Legends'' (''LoL'', commonly referred to as ''League'', is a multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by ''Defense of the Ancients'', a Mod (video games), custom map for ''Warcraf ...
''. Tencent Games partly owns
battle royale game
A battle royale game is an online multiplayer video game genre that blends last-man-standing gameplay with the survival, exploration, and scavenging elements of a survival game. Battle royale games involve dozens to hundreds of players, who ...
s such as ''
Fortnite
''Fortnite'' is an online video game and game platform developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in seven distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: '' Fortnite Battle Roy ...
'' and fully own '' Ring of Elysium''.
Starting in 2016, Tencent Games developed a video gaming console dubbed TGP (Tencent Gaming Platform) Box. The TGP Box is called the Blade. It is an
Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...
-powered console running Windows 10 and a TGP Box mode. So far, the TGP console has imported many Tencent games, such as ''League of Legends'', ''FIFA Online 3'', ''NBA 2K'', ''Monster Hunter'', ''Need for Speed'' and ''PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds''. Tencent Games hopes to bring third-party developed games. On 22 November 2017, Tencent Games formally entered into a strategic co-operation with PUBG Studios and obtain exclusive rights to operate ''Playerunknown's Battlegrounds'' in China.
In April 2017, Tencent Games unveiled its flagship gaming platform,
WeGame
WeGame is the primary gaming platform developed by the Chinese technology company Tencent. It serves as Tencent’s flagship game portal, offering a wide range of games, digital distribution services, and community features for players.
History
...
which hosts games, content, and services from all over the world and provides gaming info, purchases, downloads, live streaming, and community services, creating an open ecosystem for
gaming
Gaming may refer to:
Games and sports
The act of playing games, as in:
* Legalized gambling, playing games of chance for money, often referred to in law as "gaming"
* Playing a role-playing game, in which players assume fictional roles
* Playing ...
. ''WeGame'' is an upgraded version of TGP (Tencent Games Platform) that already had more than 200 million active users (compared to
Steam
Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
's 125 million in 2015) and over 4.5 billion downloads. It is dedicated to both global developers and players and can assist developers who require help with translation. The gaming platform supports both Chinese and global users through a single storefront and went online on 1 September 2017. Tencent Games stated that the platform would focus on PC and standalone games and won't host web or mobile games, and would provide support to small and indie companies. Aside from mainstream games, the company has promised to also launch titles which include ''
Stardew Valley
''Stardew Valley'' is a 2016 farm life simulation game developed by Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone. Players take the role of a character who inherits their deceased grandfather's dilapidated farm in a place known as "Stardew Valley". ''Stardew Valle ...
'', ''
Rocket League
''Rocket League'' is a 2015 vehicular Association football, soccer video game developed and published by Psyonix for various home consoles and computers. A sequel to 2008's ''Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars'', ''Rocket League ...
Minecraft
''Minecraft'' is a 2011 sandbox game developed and published by the Swedish video game developer Mojang Studios. Originally created by Markus Persson, Markus "Notch" Persson using the Java (programming language), Java programming language, the ...
'' and '' Cities: Skylines'', with 170 games promised by the end of 2017.
Tencent Games plans to increase its advertising revenues through artificial intelligence and branded virtual costumes in its video games.
In January 2019, Tencent prepared to release a
Game of Thrones
''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...
game for smartphones developed by
Yoozoo Games
Yoozoo Games (trading name of Youzu Interactive) is a video game developer and publisher of browser and mobile games, primarily massively multiplayer online games (MMORPG), in Asia, Europe and North America. The company was founded in 2009 by L ...
. On 18 March 2019, Tencent announced that its subsidiary, TiMi Studio Group, would develop Activision's '' Call of Duty: Mobile''. The game was released worldwide on 1 October 2019. As of 4 October 2019, the game has surpassed 35 million downloads and over $2 million in revenue.
PUBG Mobile and its Mainland China version topped the global mobile games chart by revenue, raking in a combined US$232 million of sales in March 2020, as many people turned to online entertainment during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. ''Honor of Kings'' is ranked as the second-highest-earning game globally, generating US$112 million in revenue.
In July 2021, Tencent Games implemented a facial recognition system called "Midnight Patrol" in China to limit minors' access to games during curfew hours.
In December 2021, Tencent Games launched a new game publishing brand under ''Level Infinite,'' merging the ''Proxima Beta'' video games to this brand name''.'' The focus of the brand is marketing, events, and
esports
Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...
for the video game studios of the Interactive Entertainment Group division. The area served is global and includes titles from subsidiaries that belong to the Interactive Entertainment Group or have a partnership which includes the developers '' TiMi Studio Group'', ''LightSpeed Studios''. ''Sharkmob'', ''Mighty Kingdom'', ''Fatshark'', ''
Shengqu Games
Shengqu Games is a publisher and operator of online games based in Shanghai, China. Founded in 1999 as Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited, it spun off from Shanda Interactive in 2009 and is currently owned by Zhejiang Century Huatong. Shan ...
'', ''Next Studios'', ''The Outsiders'', ''10 Chambers'', and ''Funcom'' as of 8 December 2021. The Initial games published under the brand include ''
Arena of Valor
''Arena of Valor'' (), formerly ''Strike of Kings'', is an international adaptation of '' Honor of Kings'' (), a multiplayer online battle arena developed by TiMi Studio Group and published by Level Infinite for Android, iOS and Nintendo Switc ...
'' created by the TiMi-J6 development division of TiMi Studio Group, ''Synced'' developed by Next Studios, and ''Don't Starve: Newhome'' developed by ''Shengqu Games.''
Divisions
Tencent Games has the following divisions:
Aurora Studio Group
Launched in 2007, based in
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
. Games include ''Moonlight Blade'' (), ''Iron Knight'', ''Azure War:'' () ''Name of the Nature, Light and Night.''
LightSpeed Studios
Launched in 2008, based in
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...
with the pre-fusion name Quantum Studios. The initial video games with the studio group release were QQ Huaxia & Freedom Fantasy.
In 2011, LightSpeed was founded; marking today's LightSpeed – LightSpeed & Quantum Studio Group brand name outside of
Mainland China
"Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
is LightSpeed Studios.
The following
divisions
Division may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
* Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 t ...
belong to, were acquired or created within the LightSpeed Studios, and are classified as subsidiaries of LightSpeed Studios.
* – founded in 2020: LightSpeed Studios' first studio outside of
Mainland China
"Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
and also its first
U.S.
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
-based studio. Based in
Irvine, California
Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...
, and
led
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...
by Steve Martin, LightSpeed LA is working on ''Last Sentinel''.
* Uncapped Games – founded in 2021
* S•Studio
* Happy Studio – founded in 2014
* TiKi Studios
* Anyplay Studio
* LightSpeed Tech Centre
* Art Monkey Gang
* Design Monkey Gang
* Lucid Games – Acquired in 2023
Morefun Studios
Launched in 2010, based in Shanghai. Games include ''The Roco Kingdom'' (), ''Naruto Online'', ', and '' Aceforce 2''.
NExT Studios
Launched in 2017, based in Shanghai. Games include ''Unheard'' and ''SYNCED: Off-Planet, Nishan Shaman''.
TiMi Studio Group
Launched in 2014, based in Shenzhen. Games include ''Honor of Kings, Arena of Valor'', '' QQ Speed'', '' Call of Duty: Mobile'', ''
Pokémon Unite
''Pokémon Unite'' (stylized as ''Pokémon UNITE'') is a 2021 free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena video game developed by TiMi Studio Group and published by The Pokémon Company for Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch. It was announced i ...
'', and ''
Delta Force
The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), also known as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) as Task Force Green, is a Special operation forces, special operat ...
''.
Tencent Institute of Games
The Tencent Institute of Games was founded in 2016 as a company initiative to nurture talent and professional development, and promote knowledge sharing in the game industry. The division head is Xia Lin (Sammi). It has incubated games including Nishan Shaman and The Everlasting Regret. It cooperates with multiple universities and set up an enterprise college cooperative education model for game talent. The annual Tencent Games Developers Conference is held by this division.
Shift Up
Shift Up Corporation (stylized in all caps; ) is a South Korean video game developer and publisher. It was founded on December 2, 2013, by Kim Hyung Tae and is best known for the games '' Goddess of Victory: Nikke'' and '' Stellar Blade''.
His ...
)
* ''
PUBG Mobile
''PUBG Mobile'' is a free-to-play battle royale video game co-developed by LightSpeed Studios, LightSpeed & Quantum Studio and PUBG Studios. It is a mobile game adaptation of ''PUBG: Battlegrounds''. It was initially released for Android (opera ...
''
* ''
Tower of Fantasy
''Tower of Fantasy'' () is a free-to-play open world action role-playing game developed by Hotta Studio, a Suzhou-based subsidiary of Perfect World. The game is set in a planet called Aida, contaminated with a radioactive energy called Omnium a ...
'' (licensed from
Perfect World Games
Perfect commonly refers to:
* Perfection; completeness, and excellence
* Perfect (grammar), a grammatical category in some languages
Perfect may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Perfect'' (1985 film), a romantic drama
* ''Perfect'' (20 ...
Assassin's Creed Jade
''Assassin's Creed'' is a historical fiction, historical action-adventure video game series and media franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil (game engine), Anvil and its m ...
''
* ''
Delta Force
The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), also known as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) as Task Force Green, is a Special operation forces, special operat ...
Alchemy Stars
was a free-to-play tactical role-playing and strategy mobile game developed by Tourdog Studio and published by Level Infinite. It was released globally on 17 June 2021 for Android and iOS devices, with a Chinese version released on 13 June 202 ...