- Tencent is reportedly working on a free-to-play mobile version of FromSoftware’s 2022 Elden Ring.
- The Chinese tech giant appears to have assembled a team of “several dozen people” working on the game after Tencent Holdings acquired just over 16% of FromSoftware in August 2022.
- If the report is true, Elden Ring will be the latest in a string of major gaming IPs licensed by Tencent to create free-to-play mobile versions.
Tencent is reportedly working on a free-to-play mobile version of FromSoftware’s 2022 Elden Ring. Chinese technology giant, Tencent Holdings August 2022After purchasing just over 16% of FromSoftware in , it was seen that he created a team of “several dozen people” working on the game.
If the report is true, Elden Ring will be the latest in a string of major gaming IPs licensed by Tencent to create free-to-play mobile versions. The most successful games in this field to date have been PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile. Additionally, Tencent and its subsidiaries are also working on mobile versions of Need for Speed and Assassin’s Creed.
Despite their big names, the success of these mobile games is far from guaranteed. Reuters has previously reported that such licensing deals can carry royalties of 15% to 20% of sales, and platform fees such as Apple’s commission of up to 30% must be paid additionally.
Last year, Tencent shut down the mobile version of Apex Legends, which it developed in collaboration with EA. It has also reportedly canceled an unannounced mobile game based on the Nier series, despite two years of development, due to monetization concerns. Tencent may face similar challenges trying to fit a large, primarily single-player experience like Elden Ring into a free-to-play format.
News of Elden Ring’s mobile version was announced at a time when Tencent is facing fierce competition from Chinese rivals miHoYo and NetEase, developers of games such as Genshin Impact and Eggy Party. “Gaming is our flagship business… But we have faced significant challenges in the past year,” Tencent CEO and co-founder Pony Ma said at the company’s recent annual meeting in Shenzhen. “As our competitors continued to produce new products, we found ourselves at a loss and feeling like we were achieving nothing.” said. In response, Ma said Tencent is focusing on integrating the Hunyuan AI model into different parts of its business to improve efficiency, Reuters reported.
Compiled by: Alp Eren Gümüş