Playtonic has been interested in exploring new avenues for gaming for quite a long time. After launching their publishing division and releasing two Yooka-Laylee games, the studio is ready for bigger and better things. Yet, the company expects Yooka-Laylee to be right there with them. After launching to middling reviews in 2017, the team has been excited to share their vision for the IP’s future. Despite this, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair switched up the formula to 2.5D instead of a 3D space. With much more favorable reviews and excitement, fans have never been more curious about what’s to come. Now, it seems that alongside their publishing arm the company is ready to move forward. In other words, the exciting announcement of Playtonic’s new partnership is upon us. Detailed in a blog post, Playtonic is receiving a minority stake investment from Tencent Games.
We've been levelling up! https://t.co/1cE36kDKK3
— Playtonic Games & Friends – Replaylee OUT NOW! (@PlaytonicGames) November 18, 2021
What Does Tencent Games Investment in Playtonic Games Mean?
The news might come as a shock to many who know Tencent’s history. A bold investment shows how dedicated Tencent Games is to new developers. Known for owning Riot Games, the creators of League of Legends, alongside Next Studios and TiMi Studio; Tencent has been building out their gaming portfolio. While the news might leave some feeling uncertain as to the future of Yooka-Laylee, Playtonic did provide plenty of guarantees. The biggest being creative control and IP management staying 100% with Playtonic. In addition, the blog post details how this investment is primarily going to be for building new infrastructure. Hiring new employees, scaling up to multiple teams, and possibly opening new locations are all within reach for Playtonic. Thanks to this investment, the studio is going to have a much better time working to produce more Yooka-Laylee video games. Hopefully this means, work can continue on future sequels much smoother.
So what do you think about Tencent Games investing a minority stake in Playtonic Games? Let us know in the comments down below!
