Tencent is to acquire a majority shareholding in Dying Light studio Techland

Chinese technology giant Tencent is to become the majority shareholder of Dying Light studio Techland.

The news was announced on Monday by Paweł Marchewka, who founded Polish game studio Techland in 1991.

Marchewka, who will remain as the company’s CEO, said the studio will retain full ownership of its IPs and creative freedom following the move.

“We dream of turning Dying Light into the ultimate zombie game experience for players worldwide, providing you with multiple astonishing adventures and pushing the boundaries of solo and online modes to a totally new level,” he said.

“Our open world action-RPG in a fantasy setting is already shaping up to become something truly special, and the goal here is to make sure it will live up to the expectations for our first new IP in almost a decade.

“Can we make these dreams come true? Yes, we can. But what we realized is that the best, boldest dreams can only be achieved while working side-by-side with like-minded friends and strong partners, who share the same vision, passion, and have the willingness to back it up with their knowledge, experience, and capabilities.

“Today I am happy to announce the partnership with Tencent who are in the process of becoming Techland’s majority shareholder.

“Teaming up with Tencent will allow us to move full speed ahead with the execution of the vision for our games. 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.

“We will retain full ownership of our IPs, maintain creative freedom, and continue to operate the way we believe is right. I’m also going to continue serving as the studio’s CEO.”

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Techland’s most recent game, Dying Light 2, was released in February 2022 and sold five million copies during its launch month.

The original Dying Light was released in 2015 and has sold over 20 million copies, according to the studio, which has recently been gauging player interest in a third series entry.

Techland announced last year that it’s working on a new open-world fantasy action RPG. The team responsible for the new IP boasts a number of former CD Projekt Red staff including open world director Bartosz Ochman (Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt), narrative director Karolina Stachyra (Witcher 2, Witcher 3) and narrative lead Arkadiusz Borowik (Witcher 2, Witcher 3).