Chinese gaming conglomerate Tencent is allegedly in talks with EA to work out a deal over Apex Legends, according to a South China Morning Post report.
Launched on February 4 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PCs, Apex Legends is a huge runaway hit within the crowded battle royale genre. The game blends typical battle royale elements like look gathering and fast-paced combat with a strategic layer of hero selection. In other words, it’s seemingly the perfect fusion of PUBG and Overwatch.
And since Tencent is already the Chinese front for both other titanic entries in the battle royale genre, PUBG and Fortnite, the odds are good there’s a deal concerning Apex Legends incoming. For those of you wondering why EA and Respawn don’t handle the localization, there’s a lot of quirks in China that require a company to make a deal like this. One aspect is that releases in China are legally required to be released in the country by a domestic firm. The reasons for this are complex, but can essentially be boiled down to liability and legal representation according to the color of law in China. There are also restrictions placed on publications within the country by the Chinese State Administration of Press and Publications.
These quirks have allowed Tencent to dominate the gaming market in-country with a variety of localized ports and domestically produced titles. And the growing popularity of this new title is perfectly timed for a major international release, especially in a huge market like China. And Tencent is the perfect candidate as well. Tencent is the world’s sixth-largest internet company by revenue, bringing in an estimated 237.8 billion CNY (35.1 billion USD) in 2017.
What do you think about this deal? Let us know in the comments.
