Tencent has increased its portfolio of Scandinavian assets. The company has invested $4 million in a team from Sweden — Stunlock Studios. And thus solved her financial problems.
Who is Stunlock Studios?
This small studio is from the Swedish town of Shevde. It is famous for the isometric desktop MOBA called Battlerite. A couple of years ago, the project was well-known and earned good money.
Last year, the studio started having problems. Battlerite was rapidly losing its audience. The novelty of the Battlerite Royale studio (by the way, it was also an isometric frituplein PvP project) started poorly and could not grow.
As a result, the studio was in the red.
On what terms did Tencent invest in the Swedes?
Tencent volunteered to help Stunlock Studios. A Chinese company has invested $4 million in the studio. In return, she received a third of the team’s shares.
According to the Breakit publication, Tencent is now the largest of the studio’s owners. The CEO of Stunlock Studios, Rickard Frisegård, for example, has only 11% of all assets.
How necessary was the deal?
Swedish journalists believe that the sale of shares saved the studio. Stunlock Studios was in a crisis situation. There was a real threat that she would not be able to work without additional funding.
After receiving the investment, the main financial problems are solved. And now the main question is: what will happen to it next, how the management plans to develop it.
***
For Tencent, this is the fifth purchase in Scandinavia and the fourth in Sweden. Earlier, the Chinese giant acquired 84.5% of the assets of the Finnish Supercell, as well as 5% of the Swedish Paradox Interactive, 36% of the Swedish Fatshark and an unnamed stake in the Swedish Sharkmob.