On November the 18th it has been confirmed that Tencent acquire Playtonic minority stake with the Derby based indie developer Playtonic now said to be looking to the future.
Tencent Acquire Playtonic Minority Stake
Playtonic to Retain Full Creative Control
Playtonic currently operate a one team structure and will use the new investment to create more teams whilst still retaining their creative control over their IP. Playtonic want to increase their emphasis on hiring the most diverse talent from near and far as well as improving their current headquarters and looking at possible expansion into other locations.
Founder of Playtonic, Gavin Price Looking to the Future
In a press release announcing the news of the deal, Gavin Price commented, saying;
“Six years ago we built a cool, exciting rocket ship, set a course we think is right and exciting. We are thrilled that Tencent agrees with that course and has provided some rocket fuel to further the reach of our mission!“
There is clearly much excitement within Playtonic and Mr Price went onto talk about the incredible journey that has led to this watershed moment for the company;
“The countdown to today has included (deep inhale)… our record breaking Kickstarter for Yooka-Laylee, growing the buddy-duo’s reach with the acclaimed Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, establishing Playtonic Friends and the successful launch of its first three titles – BPM: Bullets Per Minute, A Little Golf Journey and Demon Turf, signing 3 further incredible beauties in L’il gator Game, Victory Heat Rally & Blossom Tales 2 – The Minotaur Prince, and all the while still being cool (ask our parents)! BUT with Tencent’s help we can scale up and fast-track the super-exciting, super-secret projects we’ve been keeping close to our treasure chests too… things are going to get Bat Ship Crazy over the next few years! Please imagine a wink emoji right now.”
First Steps
A new head of publishing has already been hired in Danny Spiteri who has previously worked for Raw Fury and Team 17. Mr Spiteri spoke about Playtonic Friends and the momentum that they hope to build as they head into a new dawn in 2022;
“It’s been less than a year since Playtonic Friends was unveiled but, it’s fair to say, it’s made quite an impression in a relatively short space of time. The array of titles that’s already been published is quite something and I’m excited to see how I can add wind to the sails to help us build on the momentum we’ve already amassed to power us into 2022.”
Tencent Acquire Playtonic Minority Stake – Busy and Exciting Times Ahead
So with additional investment the future looks bright and incredibly busy for Playtonic.
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