Tencent Now Has a Majority Stake in the Wuthering Waves Studio

Tencent Now Has a Majority Stake in the Wuthering Waves Studio



Key Takeaways

  • Chinese media juggernaut Tencent has acquired a majority stake in Wuthering Waves developer Kuro Games, according to a recent report.
  • Tencent has reportedly ensured Kuro Games that the studio will be able to act independently from the media conglomerate, with Kuro Games expressing optimism about the deal.
  • The deal comes ahead of Wuthering Waves’ highly-anticipated Version 2.0, introducing a new explorable nation and the launch of Wuthering Waves’ PS5 version.



A new report reveals that Chinese media conglomerate Tencent has acquired a majority stake in Kuro Games, the developer behind popular gacha RPG Wuthering Waves. The newest action RPG from Kuro Games saw critical and fan acclaim following its launch earlier this year, quickly amassing a fanbase of millions of players. The game has received consistent updates since its launch and even announced the highly-anticipated Version 2.0 update and Rinascita as its second major explorable nation. Now, Kuro Games has a new majority shareholder that many gamers will be familiar with.

Tencent has grown to become one of the biggest media conglomerates in China, with its reach extending to plenty of popular games and developers. Tencent has published a variety of games from different studios, including popular ongoing titles like Tower of Fantasy and Goddess of Victory: NIKKE among others. Tencent is also known for buying up shares of foreign developers, most notably holding major interests in studios like League of Legends developer Riot Games and Epic Games. Tencent has now set its sights on the Wuthering Waves developer.


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Tencent Acquires Majority Share in Wuthering Waves Developer Kuro Games

As reported by Gematsu, Tencent has officially acquired a majority stake in Wuthering Waves developer Kuro Games. The shift came as the result of a deal that saw Tencent purchase 37% of shares in Kuro Games from Hero Entertainment, leaving Tencent with a 51% majority of the developer. Kuro Games has reportedly ensured employees that the Tencent purchase will not affect the studio’s operations, with Tencent allowing Kuro Games to act independently. The Wuthering Waves developer even expressed optimism at the “stability” provided by the partnership, with Tencent now being the studio’s only external shareholder.


Tencent’s controlling stake in Kuro Games is nothing new for the Chinese media juggernaut, often making aggressive advances to secure new studios. Alongside the previously-mentioned Riot Games deal, Tencent bought out Clash of Clans developer Supercell in 2016, turning the mobile game titan into a subsidiary of Tencent. Tencent has often pursued minority stakes in other major game developers, including Ubisoft, FromSoftware, and even Activision Blizzard. Tencent has also started several of its own subsidiary studios, including LightSpeed Japan under former Devil May Cry director Hideaki Itsuno.

Kuro Games’ new status with Tencent comes as the studio’s flagship game has plenty of major updates on the way. After being rumored for months, Kuro Games officially revealed that a PS5 version of Wuthering Waves will arrive in the near future, coinciding with the release of the game’s Version 2.0 update. The developer also teased several new characters that will be joining the playable cast following Rinascita’s release, including both Carlotta and Roccia in Version 2.0. Between a new playable nation and new ways to play, Wuthering Waves fans have reason to be excited for the game’s future.


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