Techland to welcome Tencent as its majority shareholder as Dying Light dev gears up for "new chapter"

Tencent is back on its shopping spree as its global expansion continues. The Chinese tech giant is now preparing to acquire a majority stake in Dying Light developer Techland.

On July 24, Techland founder and CEO Paweł Marchewka shared the news on the company’s official website. Tencent will eventually control over 50% of the Polish game developer, but the exact stake and other financial terms remain undisclosed.

Following the deal, Techland will retain full ownership of its IPs and full control over its operations and creative freedom. And Marchewka will continue to serve as the studio’s CEO.

He noted that this partnership “will mark the start of a new chapter of Techland’s history.”

“Teaming up with Tencent will allow us to move full speed ahead with the execution of the vision for our games,” Marchewka said. “We have chosen an ally who has already partnered with some of the world’s finest video game companies and helped them reach new heights while respecting their ways of doing things.”

Dying Light will still be Techland’s core IP, with the studio now planning to turn it into the “ultimate zombie game experience for players worldwide.” The first game in the series has sold over 20 million units since its launch in January 2015, while the sequel has crossed the 5 million mark.

Right now, the Polish company is also working on a AAA open world action-RPG in a fantasy setting. It is based on a new IP and its development is led by former CD Projekt devs, although its title, release window, and other details remain undisclosed.