Tencent acquires Visual Arts to expand its global game market share

Chinese tech big Tencent has acquired Japanese game developer Visual Arts (Kabushikigaisha Bijuaru Atsu), a specialist in galgame (feminine anime character-based video games) and visible novels. The Osaka-based developer introduced the information on Chinese social platform Weibo on Thursday. 

Why it issues: With Tencent’s acquisition, Visual Arts has mentioned it will likely be ready to attain a wider viewers and discover new development alternatives. Tencent, in the meantime, will additional its intention of changing into a global gaming powerhouse by buying one other respected developer after a collection of such strikes in latest weeks. 

Details: Visual Arts’ announcement on Thursday coincided with affirmation of the retirement of its founder Takahiro Baba, which was initially revealed final 12 months. Baba has reportedly transferred his controlling stake to Tencent, with Genki Tenkumo introduced as the brand new CEO. 

• Founded in 1991, Visual Arts was on the forefront of the Japanese animation model galgame, a subgenre of relationship video games and visible novels targeted on romance, sometimes marketed to heterosexual males. 
• Visual Arts is the mum or dad firm of Key, which is understood for creating acclaimed works resembling Kanon, AIR, and Clannad.
• Most Visual Arts video games are characterised by a sentimental storyline. Kanon, AIR, and Clannad are all titles that have been tailored into animations by Japanese studio Kyoto Animation, which has important affect amongst ACG (anime, comics and video games) teams.
• Heaven Burns Red, the corporate’s 2022 turn-based role-playing game, as soon as topped Japan’s iOS bestsellers record, in accordance to Jiemian.
• In the announcement of the Tencent deal, Takahiro Baba mentioned the corporate was “in the best condition ever.” With the assistance of Tencent’s funding, Visual Arts hopes to create classics that unfold internationally, he added.

Context: Tencent, China’s largest gaming agency, has been increasing its worldwide footprint in latest months, including to its majority possession of Riot Games with a collection of main offers. 

• On July 5, Tencent invested an unspecified quantity in Lighthouse Games, which is able to help the UK game studio to construct an as but unnamed forthcoming title. Lighthouse Games is a recently-opened triple-A studio from Playground Games co-founder Gavin Raeburn.
• Weeks later, on July 24, Tencent introduced that it had develop into the bulk shareholder in Techland, the Polish studio behind the favored game Dying Light.