According to Polygon, Tencent Holdings is the world’s largest game company, with stakes in many gaming companies. Tencent Holdings is also behind China’s largest social media messaging app, WeCnat. It is evident that the company’s interest lies in gaming and social media; Polygon has a list of Tencent Holdings investments and holdings that is extensive.
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Tencent Holdings Ownership
| Studio | Location | Percentage owned |
|---|---|---|
| Funcom | Norway | 100% |
| Leyou | Hong Kong | 100% |
| Riot Games | U.S. | 100% |
| Sharkmob | Sweden | 100% |
| Turtle Rock | U.S. | 100% |
| Wake Up Interactive | Hong Kong | 100% |
| Supercell | Finland | 84% |
| Grinding Gear Games | New Zealand | 80% |
| Epic Games | U.S. | 40% |
| Pocket Gems | Japan | 38% |
| Sea Limited (Garena) | Singapore | 25.60% |
| Dontnod Entertainment | France | 22.63% |
| Bloober Team | Poland | 22% |
| Marvelous | Japan | 20% |
| Netmarble | South Korea | 17.66% |
| Kakao | South Korea | 13.50% |
| Bluehold Studio | South Korea | 11.50% |
| Frontier Developments | U.K. | 9% |
| Sumo Group | U.K. | 8.75% |
| Kadokawa Corporation (FromSoftware, Spike Chunsoft) | Japan | 6.86% |
| Activision Blizzard | U.S. | 5% |
| Paradox Interactive | Sweden | 5% |
| Ubisoft | France | 5% |
| Remedy Entertainment | Finland | 3.80% |
| 1C Entertainment | Poland | Majority |
| 10 Chambers Collective | Sweden | Majority |
| Fatshark | Sweden | Majority |
| Klei Entertainment | Canada | Majority |
| Miniclip | Switzerland | Majority |
| Yager Development | Germany | Majority |
| Bohemia Interactive | Czech Republic | Minority |
| Offworld Industries | Canada | Minority |
| Payload Studios | U.K. | Minority |
| Playtonic Games | U.K. | Minority |
| Voodoo | France | Minority |
| Aiming | Japan | Undisclosed |
| Discord | U.S. | Undisclosed |
| Inflexion Games | Canada | Undisclosed |
| Lockwood Publishing | U.K. | Undisclosed |
| PlatinumGames | Japan | Undisclosed |
| Roblox | U.S. | Undisclosed |
So it should come as no surprise that Tencent Holdings is eyeing VR/AR and Metaverse concepts. According to Reuters, the company has formed an extended reality division that will compete with Meta’s Metaverse and other virtual worlds.
The unit is tasked with building up the extended reality business for Tencent including both software and hardware, the sources said, adding that it will be led by Tencent Games Global’s Chief Technology Officer Li Shen and will be part of the company’s Interactive Entertainment business group.
Two of the sources said the unit will eventually have over 300 staff, a generous figure given how Tencent has been cost cutting and slowing down hiring. However, they also cautioned that the hiring plans are still fluid, as the company will adjust the unit’s headcount based on its performance.
Reuters
Virtual worlds are not a new thing, but they have yet to take to the mainstream. Companies like Meta and Tencent Holdings are betting that they will become mainstream and that people will eventually live in these virtual worlds. It’s certainly going to be an interesting future.
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