Tencent acquires majority stake in Don't Starve studio Klei Entertainment

China-based company Tencent has acquired a majority stake in Don't Starve developer Klei Entertainment.

According to a Klei Entertainment forum post, the Candian studio's founder Jamie Cheng said the partnership will help the studio "navigate a changing industry," and allow it to "focus on what we want to do best" (thanks, Gematsu).

As part of this agreement, Klei will retain full autonomy of creative and operations across all aspects of the studio, including projects, talent, and more. There are no plans for Cheng to step down, nor will there be changes to staff, projects, or other operations.

"Klei has been around for 15 years, and we have made many changes over the years in order to respond to a changing world," said Cheng. "Consistently, my wish has been to enable people to do their best creative work, to learn and grow, to not have to worry about finances and be able to enjoy their lives outside the studio. This has not changed.

"This partnership helps us navigate a changing industry, and helps us focus on what we do best: making unique experiences that no one else can."

Tencent has previously invested in companies such as Riot and Epic Games among others. In 2016, it helped Klei distribute its games in China.

"We looked at a lot of different companies, and over the years, we’ve worked with a large number of publishers and distributors," CHeng continued. "Tencent is the only company that we felt would let us retain the level of control that we demand.

"We’ve been working with Tencent for years and even at points where we disagreed, they were always willing to work with us to find the best solution for everybody involved and defer to us when we felt strongly."

Along with Don't Starve and its multiplayer spin-off Don't Starve Together, Klei has released several games such as Invisible Inc., Oxygen Not Included, Mark of the Ninja, Shank, Shank 2, and others.