A few weeks after Tencent completed the $8.6 billion purchase of Supercell, the internet giant has begun to roll out the Finnish dev’s latest title, Clash Royale, in China.
As noted by The Wall Street Journal, Tencent has wasted no time in adding Clash Royale to its WeChat and QQ mobile messaging platforms, allowing its many users to download the freemium strategy title.
It marks the first collaboration between the pair since Tencent bought an 84.3 percent stake in the Clash of Clans creator from Japanese mobile outfit, SoftBank, towards the end of June.
To give you an idea of the perks that come with being a subsidiary of Tencent, Tech in Asia recently reported that WeChat and QQ bring in a combined 1.26 billion monthly active users in China alone, making the messaging apps two of the region’s most popular by a country mile.
For Supercell, Tencent’s ability to pry open the Chinese market isn’t the only perk. Speaking openly about the acquisition, company CEO Ilkka Paananen explained the chance to remain operationally independent was also a huge selling point.
Tencent’s “hugely successful partnership” with League of Legends creator Riot Games also helped allay any lingering fears.
“We have agreed with Tencent that Supercell will continue to be operationally independent, exactly as it was under SoftBank’s ownership,” wrote Paananen in a blog post.
“They understand that our unique culture of small and independent teams is what makes Supercell, [while] our headquarters will stay in Helsinki and we will pay our taxes in Finland. All of this is very important for us.”