Chinese internet company Tencent, one of the largest video game companies in the world by revenue, and owner of the popular social platform WeChat, is planning to bring its highest-grossing mobile game Honor of Kings to the US and Europe. The move comes as the company revs up its overseas expansion in a bid to diversify its revenue base, according to people familiar with the matter.
Tencent has a stake in Activision, which in turn owns King, the maker of Candy Crush, and last year purchased a majority stake in Riot Games, developer of League of Legends. It also acquired the Finnish company Supercell, which developed the mobile hit Clash of Clans. Following its global expansion plan, Tencent wants to bring its own self-developed mobile game Honor of Kings to markets beyond China and will launch the title in the US, France, Italy, Spain, and Germany. The hit game has already been released in some foreign markets, including Turkey and Thailand.
The company plans to incorporate some local touches to the version of the game it will launch in the US and Europe, as seen in some existing international versions where players can assume the role of Batman or Van Helsing. In many markets, the game has even been renamed to Strike of Kings.
Diversifying its customer base will also help the company alleviate some of the impact of a recent domestic issue; following public outcry from Chinese outlets that the nation’s children are addicted to the game, Tencent imposed playtime and spending limits for young players.
Source: Bloomberg | Image via Reuters/Stringer