Why it matters: Chinese internet and gaming giant Tencent is pouring its money into another developer. This time, it's Japan-based company PlatinumGames, known for titles such as Bayonetta and Nier: Automata, that has received the investment.
In a statement on the dev's website, PlatinumGames president and CEO Kenichi Sato confirmed the company took a "capital investment" as part of a "basis for partnership." Exactly how much Tencent paid wasn't revealed, but he added that the move wouldn't affect the independence of the company,
Sato also said that in addition to the general financial benefits of the investment, it would help the company expand from game development into "exploring self-publishing."
Tencent already has investments in some of gaming's biggest firms. It fully acquired League of Legends developer Riot Games back in December 2015 and owns 40 percent of Epic Games (Fortnite). It also has 5 percent stakes in Blizzard and Ubisoft, along with an 11.5 percent share of PUBG's Bluehole.
Tencent partnered with Nintendo last year to bring the Switch to China. It also announced that it would be working with the Pokémon Company to develop games.
An investment from Tencent often brings controversy due it being a Chinese company and the possibility that it might kowtow to the country's government. Tencent invested $150 million into Reddit at the start of last year, and a post criticizing the deal was the most upvoted of 2019.