Chinese media conglomerate Tencent has bought Leyou, a name that may not mean much to you, but you’ll know some of their subsidiaries: developers Warframe Digital Extremes and Dirty Bomb devs Splash Damage. Both studios issued statements saying no, don’t sweat it, it will be fine.
“We will remain creatively independent, we do not expect changes to Warframe or the way our studio works, and we will remain equally dedicated to you, the community, who have been with us at every stage since the launch of Warframe. He said in their statement.
“Our acquisition will allow Splash Damage to operate as an independent entity within the Tencent family, while gaining their expertise to enable us to build even bigger games as we move into the third decade,” Splash Damage said in their’s.
Leyou started, strangely, as part of the Chinese chicken company Sumpo Food Holdings, which was looking to diversify its business. In 2014, they bought a majority stake in Digital Extremes, then almost all of the others in 2016 and bought Splash Damage in 2016. Now, Tencent has made Leyou, adding them to a studio stable that includes Riot Games and Funcom, as well as stakes in Epic Games, Ubisoft, Frontier Developments, Activision Blizzard, Paradox Interactive, Grinding Gear Games and more.
The consolidation of the gaming industry continues.
Disclosure: I have friends at Splash Damage. Dude? Maybe just a friend now.