Highguard developer Wildlight Entertainment reportedly funded by Tencent, though the scale of this funding remains a mystery
Ain’t it fun-ding.
A new report has revealed that Wildlight Entertainment, the studio behind ill-fated first person shooter Highguard, was funded by Tencent studio group TiMi. The full scope of this funding, its connection if any to recent layoffs, and the reason for its secrecy remains unclear.
The story, broken by Stephen Totilo’s Game File, emphasizes that Wildlight was and remains “technically independent” from Tencent / TiMi, and notes that Tencent has a public and vast presence in funding Western Game Development. For example, Tencent is a major investor in League of Legends developer Riot Games, and backed Ubisoft’s Vantage Studios subsidiary.
Another example of Tencent investing could be Arrowhead Studios, the creator of Helldivers 2. Last year, Tencent bought up a 15% stake in Arrowhead Games following the release of the hugely popular PvE third person shooter.
However, unlike those aforementioned games, Tencent / TiMi’s involvement in Wildlight wasn’t publicly announced. You can’t, for example, see the game listed in the TiMi Studio Group website. Why was this?
Well, Games Business editor in chief Christopher Dring provided some context to how independent studio funding works which could explain the situation. “When a big independent studio forms, they typically go through funding rounds where they ask investors to support their project/studio”, Dring posted on X. “Various groups can invest in these rounds. Historically, Tencent has been a regular investor in new teams. You’d be surprised at how many other devs have ‘secret’ (but not actually secret) Tencent backing.
“Games require funds to be made. Being backed by investors doesn’t make you any less independent. Heck, a lot of the time, the investment isn’t even enough to cover everything. Multiple rounds are usually required, and even then it might need a publisher. Tencent, and similar investors, are not a well of money people can keep coming back to. In most cases, it’s some funds to get going, and then it’s on the developers to deliver the rest.”
So, this all may be a lot less exciting than it initially appears. Even so, an interesting peak perhaps into the world of independent studios, how they’re funded, and what that means. This report from Game File comes at roughly the same time as the Highguard website was suddenly taken down.
A new report has revealed that Wildlight Entertainment, the studio behind ill-fated first person shooter Highguard, was funded by Tencent studio group TiMi. The full scope of this funding, its connection if any to recent layoffs, and the reason for its secrecy remains unclear.
The story, broken by Stephen Totilo’s Game File, emphasizes that Wildlight was and remains “technically independent” from Tencent / TiMi, and notes that Tencent has a public and vast presence in funding Western Game Development. For example, Tencent is a major investor in League of Legends developer Riot Games, and backed Ubisoft’s Vantage Studios subsidiary.
Another example of Tencent investing could be Arrowhead Studios, the creator of Helldivers 2. Last year, Tencent bought up a 15% stake in Arrowhead Games following the release of the hugely popular PvE third person shooter.
However, unlike those aforementioned games, Tencent / TiMi’s involvement in Wildlight wasn’t publicly announced. You can’t, for example, see the game listed in the TiMi Studio Group website. Why was this?
Well, Games Business editor in chief Christopher Dring provided some context to how independent studio funding works which could explain the situation. “When a big independent studio forms, they typically go through funding rounds where they ask investors to support their project/studio”, Dring posted on X. “Various groups can invest in these rounds. Historically, Tencent has been a regular investor in new teams. You’d be surprised at how many other devs have ‘secret’ (but not actually secret) Tencent backing.
“Games require funds to be made. Being backed by investors doesn’t make you any less independent. Heck, a lot of the time, the investment isn’t even enough to cover everything. Multiple rounds are usually required, and even then it might need a publisher. Tencent, and similar investors, are not a well of money people can keep coming back to. In most cases, it’s some funds to get going, and then it’s on the developers to deliver the rest.”
So, this all may be a lot less exciting than it initially appears. Even so, an interesting peak perhaps into the world of independent studios, how they’re funded, and what that means. This report from Game File comes at roughly the same time as the Highguard website was suddenly taken down.
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