So Tencent recently made a minority stake in Dotnod. the guys behind Vampyr.


You can read the article here
https://www.pcgamer.com/au/tencent-acquires-a-minority-stake-in-life-is-strange-developer-dontnod/#comment-jump

Personally, I'm not too sure what this will mean for future titles. I'm not even sure what minority stake even means.

What do you guys thinks? What does a minority stake mean and what will this mean for the company. Any chance we can get a Vampyr 2?

By Steven Messner January 27, 2021.

Googling tells me, it means anything less than 50% of the shares, generally from 20 to 30 % of shares. Also, minority owners have less to say about how the company is run, but even that depends on what kind of an agreement they've done with the majority owners.

A minority stake isn't "acquiring them". Also this isn't news any more.

Well it was news to me.

Dontnod is planning to self publish 5 games in the next 3 years for those curious.

https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/dontnod-launching-5-self-published-titles-in-next-3-years

I think this is important to remember...

... but...

... at the same time Tencent's rise in Western gaming is troubling.

Hopefully, Vampyr 2 is on its way.

Focus Home Interactive may own the IP so that might need there approval.

It is, there's just no reason to exaggerate. Exaggeration just causes people to not pay attention anymore, like the boy who cried wolf.

Well, there is no exaggeration that the CCP has direct control of Tencent (and all Chinese corporations) should the CCP wish to exert it.

The real question IMO is:

Why would Dontnod allow a partial acquisition -- and potentially give away freedom of artistic expression -- by getting into bed with a Chinese corporation (and one mentioned officially many times by the CCP as a cornerstone of their propaganda efforts in the West)?

Now, is Dontnod at the behest of Tencent? And will the CCP exert influence over Dontnod? Only time will tell. But we may have seen something like this -- in miniature -- even here on GOG...?

But Tencent's acquisition of Funcom is a major reason I won't buy a game with one of my favorite characters of all time -- Conan (Conan Exiles).

That's not the statement in question though.

As for Dontnod allowing it, it depends. Are they publicly listed? If they are, I don't think there's much they could have don't to stop Tencent.

Why? Probably because anyone who wants to release a product in China must be partially owned by an approved Chinese company. Since they're self-publishing their next projects, they're probably planning to release in China as well.

Yes. One of the industries I've worked in has courted Chinese money for the same reason. Would be fine if the CCP didn't have such control over the process.