Tencent buys majority stake in Path of Exile’s Grinding Gear Games

Chinese gaming and social media giant Tencent has acquired a majority stake in Grinding Gear Games, the publisher of Path of Exile (think a free-to-play modern take on Diablo II but in a huge online world, with regular expansions, adventure leagues, and other evolving content). Grinding Gear Games said in a post that it will remain an independent company and there won’t be big changes in how it operates.

“We want to reassure the community that this will not affect the development and operations of Path of Exile,” Grinding Gear Games chief Chris Wilson said in a blog post. “Tencent is one of the largest companies in the world and also one of the largest games publishers in the world. Tencent owns giant franchises like League of Legends and Clash of Clans and has a strong reputation for respecting the design decisions of developers and studios they invest in, allowing a high level of autonomy in continuing to operate and develop their games.”