Tencent is investing more than $15 million in Fortnite to ensure Epic Games’ popular battle royale shooter succeeds in China.
As reported by Do News (via Engadget) the Chinese internet company (which holds a 40 percent stake in Epic) officially launched the title at a news conference yesterday, and said it would back it the tune of 100 million yuan ($15.8 million).
Some of the cash will apparently be used to market the title and combat piracy, while another chunk will be used to establish Fortnite in the world of esports.
If the game performs even half as well in China as it has in other regions — reports suggest the mobile version has pulled in global revenues of $25 million during its first month — Tencent will likely recoup its cash in no time.
In fact, a similar success story in China would effectively give Tencent a monopoly on the battle royale genre in the region, with the company already having partnered with Bluehole to bring rival title PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds to the country on both PC and mobile.