Czechia based developer Bohemia Interactive has announced that the Chinese tech giant Tencent has acquired a minority stake in the company. Following this minority stake, Bohemia Interactive will continue to operate independently and will be led by the existing management team of the company. Tencent is normally known for major acquisitions in the video game industry however this time around, the tech giant only went for a minority stake in Bohemia Interactive.
Bohemia Interactive is a well-known developer in the video game industry because of its two prominent franchises Arma and Dayz. The company is already working with Tencent to bring their PC/mobile sandbox game creation platform Ylands to Chinese players and game makers. At the time of this announcement, the terms and conditions of the investment are not disclosed. However, Marek Španěl, CEO of Bohemia Interactive commented:
We are pleased to deepen our relationship with Tencent, one of the most significant internet companies in the world. We look forward to working on our current and future generations of games with the support of a strong partner that has known us for many years and understands our unique approach to online games.
Tencent has been extremely active in the video game industry for some time as it has recently acquired plenty of video game companies. Some of the most notable acquisitions include Don’t Starve developer Klei Entertainment, System Shock 3 developer OtherSide Entertainment, Conan Exiles developer Funcom and it also launched its global video game client WeGame X in a bid to boost global sales of its video games. Now, its most recent investment is in Bohemia Interactive although it is a small one.
Bohemia Interactive was formed back in 1999 and since then, has been developing PC, console, and mobile games. Their very first release was Arma: Cold War Assault which was launched initially by Codemasters as Operation Flashpoint back in 2001. The game sold 2 million copies and also managed to nab some industry awards. The company’s current biggest titles include Arma 3, DayZ, Ylands, and Vigor with plenty of other titles under their belt as well.
