The Verge reports that Tencent is adding to its already large roster of video game studios by acquiring Slamfire, the parent company of Back 4 Blood developer Turtle Rock Studios. Turtle Rock will be “retaining its independent operations” in California and the current leadership team will still run the studio, according to a press release.
Tencent is behind some of the biggest games on the planet. As The Verge reported, it owns the studio behind the hugely popular MOBA League of Legends; the developer of the mobile hits Call of Duty: Mobile, Honor of Kings, and Pokémon Unite; and has a 40 percent stake in Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite and Unreal Engine. And the company has made many significant investments just this year, including acquiring British game studio Sumo, buying a majority stake in Don’t Starve developer Klei Entertainment, and taking minority stakes in Yooka-Laylee creator Playtonic, DayZ developer Bohemia Interactive, Life is Strange-maker Dontnod, and Alan Wake and Control developer Remedy Entertainment.
While it’s unclear exactly what’s next for Turtle Rock, the studio is emphasizing its commitment to Back 4 Blood (which got a big update just this week). With Tencent’s acquisition, “we get to do something we have never done before as a studio: turn a universe we created into a true long-standing AAA franchise,” Turtle Rock said in a blog post. “We can now ensure that the Back 4 Blood franchise is here to stay and we will be working on it well into the future.”
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