They tried to acquire it outright, but were turned down
[Update: In a statement issued to GamesIndustry.biz, Bluehole said “These reports are not accurate. Tencent didn’t make an investment into Bluehole.”]
Tencent, the ever growing Chinese internet holdings company has backed Bluehole Studio Inc., the South Korean company that developed a little game called PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, maybe you’re familiar with it.
It’s unclear exactly how much the investment was, but they initially planned to acquire Bluehole, but that offer was turned down.
It’s not surprising that Tencent would be after a company like Bluehole. PUBG has sold more than four million copies, and 19 percent of its player base is in China, the only larger portion is the United States which makes up 24 percent.
Tencent has been grabbing stake in foreign game companies recently. Back in July, it acquired a nine percent stake in Frontier Developments, the developer of Elite Dangerous and Planet Coaster.
Tencent backs South Korean game developer Bluehole [Yicai Global]
