Tencent has Invested in Grinding Gear Games

Old meme time...

I used to be an exile like you, until I took a Tencent to the knee.

Many people already mentioned their concern. From the perspective of a Chinese, yes, Tencent is a "successful" company rather than a respectable company, it go too far on the way of pursuing profit.

Anyway, I am still positive on this case, at least you got more resource and can focus on game development. Like LOL, Roit Game is a good instance. Please DO insist and keep your faith as the way it is.

I love this game. Don't ruin it.

My guess is that POE has peaked or is close to peaking in its position in the marketplace and that the owners made an excellent choice to generate cash from an outside investor now.

I don't see how becoming a minority shareholder makes the founding owners more engaged than before, except perhaps for the time it takes to bring to fruition more of their vision for POE. The only way I see the founders sticking around over the longer run is if they have another itch to scratch, meaning they have another game they feel passionate about making. I'm not seeing any signs of that, but my window into their thinking is admittedly very limited.

POE has a key inflection point coming up, with it's long term future probably hinging on the quality of the next top management team. But, there was quite a bit of risk associated with maintaining the status quo, especially if the current owners were losing their enthusiasm for running GGG; in the longer run the change to tencent control may be better for GGG.

Just... why?

Shark, jumped.

Forget to mention a very sharp irony at this moment.

In previous times, it was very hard for Chinese players to play the international version of POE due to terrible pings(~200 ms) and very "sensitive" connection resets/fails(unknown mechanism, often related to specific map/area/move, maybe a false trigger on the Great Firewall). They were forced to use VPN to make clear connects, which was costly, dangerous(seen as a potential threat to the government) and tech-savvy. Oftentimes one VPN would fail, and any player who had encountered this would have a very bad time to find a usable substitute(this was not only for POE, but for anyone who wanted, and wants to look outside China, in the darkest days).

In the game circle, hardcore players might wish some day POE would be introduced into China. Some would shrug off how such dark and violent content would eventually pass the Chinese media censorship. Such was the story known for so few, and then it broadened, and was known for many - rumors that Tencent was in contact. And it widened even further, as everyone knew, the Chinese server launched. Eventually it had paved the way, to this day.

As a witness of the old days, I will not forget and forgive. The internet imbalance has been built, and hence the capital imbalance - the zombie-like power of so-many, harnessed by a great entity, whatever it is, has failed, and will fail so many exquisite structures around the world. Be it destiny or not, how could you try to gain alliance with the ones across the Styx.

I'm picturing the big meeting with GGG and TenCent and all the lawyers happening in-game at the Crossroads.

Back in town, Greust spits.

Handshakes all round.

Exiles, pah.

"

erdelyii wrote:

I'm picturing the big meeting with GGG and TenCent and all the lawyers happening in-game at the Crossroads.

Greust spits.

Handshakes all round.

Way off topic on my part but fuck Greust.

For now, I would say, it's a pretty bad move, but that´s based on the given info. At the end of the day, making profits is what corporations follow, so on a medium term, if we, players, will not buy supporter packs, how the corporation will act? Usually new management team will come in place of the old one.
However, if Tencent did this move based on chinese PoE and is limiting it's influence only to the chinese version it would be more understandable.Extrapolating a bit, chinese market is by itself a global market, so with proper content, yes, I believe, Tencent can make a hefty profit on the chinese side.
But, at this very moment everything is just pure speculation.
Sorry for my english, not my language.