Tencent today announced it has acquired Slamfire Inc., the parent company of game developer Turtle Rock Studios. Turtle Rock is best known as the development studio behind Left 4 Dead, Evolve, and, most recently, Back 4 Blood.
According to a statement from the two companies, Turtle Rock will remain largely independent, and its team remains the same. Co-founders Phil Robb and Chris Ashton will continue to run operations. The change will also reportedly have no effect on Back 4 Blood’s ongoing development.
Steve Goldstein, president of Turtle Rock, said in a statement, “We are all looking forward to joining the Tencent family of studios. Tencent’s outstanding partners, global reach, deep knowledge of gaming and unprecedented support will help us create the kinds of ambitious games we dream of, while allowing us to retain our autonomy and independent spirit.”
Tencent, meanwhile, commended Turtle Rock’s track record. Eddie Chen, chief strategy officer of Tencent Games Global said in a statement, “We are huge fans of Turtle Rock’s games, especially their amazing approach to creating co-operative online games. We can’t wait to see what comes next, and we’re excited to be part of their future.”
Tencent has steadily increased its game development acquisitions and investments. It recently acquired Wake Up Interactive, the parent company of Valhalla Game Studios and Soleil.