Tencent Seeks to Develop Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring Rivals with Focus on Long-Term Studio Support

Tencent plans to support promising studios for years to help them grow into teams capable of creating games on the scale of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring.

Tencent Games Vice President Yongyi Zhu called Larian Studios and FromSoftware the company’s “northern stars.” In an interview with The Game Business, he explained that talent, an independent vision, and the consistent development of a specific genre matter more to Tencent than where developers are located.

According to Zhu, Larian and FromSoftware did not achieve success overnight. Larian steadily developed the Divinity series before earning the opportunity to create Baldur’s Gate 3. FromSoftware progressed from Demon’s Souls through Dark Souls and Bloodborne to Elden Ring. Tencent wants to support studios using a similar model, allowing them to refine their ideas with each new game.

The company is ready to partner with a team if it sees the potential for that team to become a leader in a specific genre. This might not happen with a first or even a second game, as Tencent is banking on multi-year development.

At the same time, the company will continue to use a live-service model with long-term game support alongside small teams during the riskiest production stages. The goal is not just a single major hit, but rather studios capable of releasing major games for years to come.