Life Is Strange studio Dontnod Entertainment and Chinese conglomerate Tencent have announced a business cooperation agreement whereby Tencent will invest in the French developer and acquire a minority stake.
According to a press release, this agreement will enable Dontnod to ramp up development of self-published IPs on a variety of platforms including consoles.
“We are delighted to welcome Tencent as a Dontnod investor,” said Dontnod CEO, Oskar Guilbert. “This is a real expression of trust from a key online game leader, which is behind a number of success stories and has invested in several leading companies in the video game industry. Through this partnership, Dontnod is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the various growth drivers in the video game industry, in particular in China and on mobile platforms, in cooperation with an industry leader.”
Guilbert added that Dontnod aims to self-publish more games going forward. Part of the press release reads:
The funds raised will mainly be used to finance the ramp-up of Dontnod’s strategy to develop new self-published intellectual properties worldwide on PC, consoles and mobile platforms, and thereby take full advantage of positive trends within the industry for creators of internationally renowned and original games, such as Dontnod.
Dontnod is also proud to announce the concurrent signing of a business cooperation agreement with Tencent.
Tencent has been heavily investing in video game studios around the globe. The Chinese giant previously invested in PlatinumGames and Spec Ops: The Line studio Yager, among many others. It was also in exclusive talks to acquire Gears Tactics and Warframe parent company, Leyou.
