Wake Up Interactive Limited ("Wake Up"), a Hong Kong-based game holding company that owns Japanese game developers Soleil and Valhalla Game Studios, has been acquired by Tencent Holdings Limited ("Tencent"), headquartered in Shenzhen, China. Tencent Hold ings Limited ("Tencent"), headquartered in Shenzhen, China, has acquired Wake Up Interactive Limited ("Wake Up") and made it a subsidiary of Tencent.
Soleil and Valhalla Game Studios also became subsidiaries.
Wake Up Interactive also owns Tokyo-based Soleil Corporation and Valhalla Game Studio.
Soleil was founded by Yoshiko Okamoto, Hiroaki Matsui, and other well-known creators of the "DEAD OR ALIVE" and "NINJA GAIDEN" series, and is known for its large pool of talent that has transferred from major Japanese game development companies. The company is also known for developing the games "Ninjara" and "Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes" for the Nintendo Switch.
Tencent's Moves & Upcoming Wake-Up Calls
Tencent has raised approximately 30 billion yen in new shares from Kadokawa, and has also invested in Marvelous and Platinum Games, but has so far mainly sought to acquire the rights to distribute games overseas, making acquisitions of this scale rare.
Launch of "Project EDO
Wake Up's management base has been strengthened, and the company will accelerate investment in the development of original, high-quality games and the creation of new IP, as well as in game development on consignment.
As the first project to create new IP, Soleil will launch " Project EDO (tentative name)," a massively multiplayer online game that combines "NINJA" with "high-end action," which is one of Soleil's greatest strengths. The announcement of the acquisition coincided with the start of development of " Project EDO (tentative title )," a massively multiplayer online game that combines "NINJA" with "high-end action.
Chinese Companies Strengthening Their Presence in Japan
Tencent and NetEase have been active in investing in, acquiring, and recruiting personnel for Japanese game companies.
NetEase has just announced the acquisition of Grasshopper Manufacture, a subsidiary of GungHo.
The game "Ninjara," which was fully developed by Soleil, a subsidiary of Wake Up, which was acquired by Tencent, was published by GungHo.
We will keep an eye on the future expansion of Chinese companies in the video game industry.