The gaming industry has constantly seen veteran companies fall in stature and new ones arise in their place, with one of the biggest new players to grow in power the past few years being Tencent. The Chinese mega-conglomerate has taken advantage of new video gaming opportunities in its homeland and internationally by investing millions in hit games with wide audiences like Fortnite and PUBG. Tencent has also partnered with developers like Platinum Games, investing in their growth while mostly granting independence in decision-making. Now, it appears Tencent will be taking this approach with Don’t Starve developer Klei Entertainment.

Klei Entertainment founder Jamie Cheng announced the deal with Tencent on the official Klei Entertainment forums. According to Cheng, while Tencent purchased a majority stakehold of the Don’t Starve developer, the studio will be allowed to remain autonomous in its creative endeavors and game development operations. Cheng will still lead the company and no hirings, firings, or reassignments will be made directly as a result of this new deal. Aside from the accounting side of things, Cheng is not expecting much to change at all with the developer. He described the following reasons for pursuing Tencent specifically as a buyer:

Klei has been around for 15 years, and we have made many changes over the years in order to respond to a changing world. Consistently, my wish has been to enable people to do their best creative work, to learn and grow, to not have to worry about finances, and be able to enjoy their lives outside the studio. This has not changed. This partnership helps us navigate a changing industry, and helps us focus on what we do best: making unique experiences that no one else can.”

Cheng also expressed this new deal will not necessarily make their work more focused on the Chinese-market, nor that it would affect any specific market they cater to. The deal is instead posed as helpful in providing support to Chinese players of Klei games. Under a notable measure from the Trump administration, Tencent was going to be one of several companies that would have been banned from the US. However, with Biden now in office, that initiative appears to have been put on hold. It seems like this deal should help out in the long-run for Klei Entertainment, and ensure that the Don’t Starve developer doesn’t starve for opportunities in the future.

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