Tencent on the hunt to buy Warframe? (Deal not confirmed/final)

[Urlan]

8 minutes ago, nslay said:

DE makes a lot of money now. Can't DE just buy themselves back? I mean... if DE wants to realize its own vision for Warframe, shouldn't they own themselves and prevent meddling investors from modifying their agenda?

According to the HR Director; no. That said, while DE still made the majority of the profit for Leyou recently; under-performance of promised releases and engagement for 2019 resulted in an overall loss of $2 million which is stated as part of the explanation for why Leyou is pursuing the merger/buyout at this time. According to the HR; from before the deal went private; in an interview in late 2019, DE could use additional funds for the increased bringing on of staff they were doing and for improving hardware and technologies (licenses and upgrades to equipment for better upgrades to the game for example) so its likely that DE even if they individually had money to attempt to buy back their shares; would.

https://lfpress.com/business/local-business/digital-extremes-on-the-block-just-as-covid-19-drives-gaming-growth

[ChaoticEdge]

2 minutes ago, Urlan said:

Not sure I follow honestly; but if you mean to say; what is the risk in trying? I say go for it, and hope it works out for your efforts.

Video game companies has their risk as in for example some lost and forgotten gaming company have tons risk roller dice maker of putting their game on the marketing and had either done terrible job or done ok but suddenly crash afterward but as again some companies can crash hard too.  Another example if everyone remember the guy who bought microsoft and made it successful but had history before it he had lost few billions of dollars and gain it back.  Pretty much this is type of risk rolling of dice that is providing in life for marketing is a way almost like gambling but more of need to know when.  At the time being it is a way of saying warframe is in on the table for major gaming companies that are seeking with in this warframe as the chip is warframe the crown jewelries.  Right now probably one the company will bid a billions of dollars to have workers work right up to it and start making more then millions of dollars.

[kgabor]

31 minutes ago, Drachnyn said:

Just buy Leyou yourself. Should be easy, right?

I'll take two.

[Urlan]

2 minutes ago, ChaoticEdge said:

Video game companies has their risk as in for example some lost and forgotten gaming company have tons risk roller dice maker of putting their game on the marketing and had either done terrible job or done ok but suddenly crash afterward but as again some companies can crash hard too.  Another example if everyone remember the guy who bought microsoft and made it successful but had history before it he had lost few billions of dollars and gain it back.  Pretty much this is type of risk rolling of dice that is providing in life for marketing is a way almost like gambling but more of need to know when.  At the time being it is a way of saying warframe is in on the table for major gaming companies that are seeking with in this warframe as the chip is warframe the crown jewelries.  Right now probably one the company will bid a billions of dollars to have workers work right up to it and start making more then millions of dollars.

Well, if we are talking what Tencent has stated in their buyout offer that they intend to do; they will take Leyou and its holdings including DE private under their Tencent Mobile arm who will act to further direct Leyou's future as part of the Tencent family; per the Bloomberg article of the talks at least.

[ChaoticEdge]

26 minutes ago, Urlan said:

Well, if we are talking what Tencent has stated in their buyout offer that they intend to do; they will take Leyou and its holdings including DE private under their Tencent Mobile arm who will act to further direct Leyou's future as part of the Tencent family; per the Bloomberg article of the talks at least.

could be but we never know Tencent might turn down the offer for they speak about it for "more likely yes" but never know % how much they like it for possible of being 72-83% what they like and see but if we could turn the tides making Leyou put into thoughts should of made into a bidding for the gaming company for other gaming companies to actually rethink and probably you know talk Tencent about are they sure in a polite manner of ways then the offer could be deiced to buy and not to buy.  Why did my thread mirage with this thread for they are different one another for mine talks about other company buying the warframe instead talking about Tencent even thou I may say their name but it doesn't mean it is same subject as the title is this person given.  A bit of rude chose if anyone ask me.

[(XBOX)EPOSSTYLE]

No that's not right...I'm  buying "warframe" and the first thing I'm doing is nerfing the non-sense!?

[ExplosiveBolts]

If this deal goes though, will we be allowed refunds? I sure as #*!% won't be buying any more packs.

https://www.pcgamer.com/tencent-is-reportedly-in-talks-to-acquire-digital-extremes-owner-leyou-technologies/

[katastrofa02]

Tencent ? isnt that chinese company who involved in many scandals about mass stealing data from phones, creating apps who illegally stealing data, creating viruses for pc and phones to install their stuff and all like these things? im kinda worried, actually VERY worried, can somebody call me down with strong arguments, or at least tell everything gonna be ok with game or something? i don't want my data being sold to china D;

[OniDax]

4 hours ago, Urlan said:

According to the HR Director; no. That said, while DE still made the majority of the profit for Leyou recently; under-performance of promised releases and engagement for 2019 resulted in an overall loss of $2 million which is stated as part of the explanation for why Leyou is pursuing the merger/buyout at this time. According to the HR; from before the deal went private; in an interview in late 2019, DE could use additional funds for the increased bringing on of staff they were doing and for improving hardware and technologies (licenses and upgrades to equipment for better upgrades to the game for example) so its likely that DE even if they individually had money to attempt to buy back their shares; would.

https://lfpress.com/business/local-business/digital-extremes-on-the-block-just-as-covid-19-drives-gaming-growth

That article also provides some insight on the power that Leyou, and the new owner, has and will have. They can choose to move the studio to another location. They have the power to make changes if they want to. They aren't powerless as some believe. DE really doesn't hold much power when it comes to potential changes. 

7 hours ago, Letter13 said:

As far as I'm aware, Amazing Eternals was something DE had wanted to do on their own and not a 'Hey we're your investors, we want you to do this' move by Leyou. Also Survived By wasn't developed by DE, it was developed by Human Head Studios, and DE was assisting them in publishing it; it didn't pull any resources away from Warframe.

This also isn't DE's first rodeo with investors. I would fully expect them to require and maintain full creative control over Warframe just as they had done with Leyou. Considering Warframe is basically their baby, I imagine there would be some pretty big pushback from DE (i.e. resignations/quitting/etc) if their investors tried to pressure them to change the game in a way DE does not want to.

Please try to keep this in mind before making claims like 'Leyou controlled Warframe by pulling resources away from it etc.'

Cheers.

I think your mistake is thinking DE can just require any new buyer to let them maintain creative control. DE has no power here to do that. Leyou can move them to another city or country if they wanted to. They may have had that power when Leyou initially bought them, but I'd think that went out the door when Leyou bought the remaining shares.

https://www.bennettjones.com/Mandates-Section/HKSE-Listed-Leyou-Technologies-Acquires-Balance-of-Digital-Extremes-from-Founders

Back when Leyou first acquired DE, they bought their non-voting shares:

https://games.mxdwn.com/news/leyou-technologies-holdings-purchases-digital-extremes-creators-of-warframe/

However, they bought the rest of the shares from DE. Now, Charles Yuk is the controlling shareholder.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/10/tencent-in-exclusive-talks-to-buy-hong-kong-gaming-firm-leyou.html

I don't think Leyou is obligated to allow DE full creative control, and I don't believe any new owner is obligated either. It remains to be seen whether or not a new owner will make changes, but as far as I can tell, they aren't forbidden from doing so. And I'm not so sure DE employees and staff would readily resign, especially not some of the long-time, but under 20-year employees (employment time, not age). I mean, where would they go?

6 hours ago, Felsagger said:

I'm sure DE has a mind of its own. They have a firm vision of what War Frame should be. Up to now the game survived for seven years. I'm sure DE values their independence and their space to produce assets for the game. If any foreign company come up with pressures DE will feel uncomfortable. The Covid 19 is a harsh working restriction for DE. I hope that such situation get resolved soon for the wealth of everybody. The other constraint is the new Console Generation that is about to happen in November or late December. We will probably see development on the game like Railjack 3.0 next year of we are lucky. Rail Jack needs a major tune up. 

  Up to now I'm simply skeptic until I see further results and developments on the situation. 

What independence? I'm sure they value their semi-autonomy, but they don't enjoy independence. They are not independent. The semi-autonomy they enjoy, they enjoy at the mercy/grace of their parent company.

[ChaoticEdge]

4 hours ago, Urlan said:

According to the HR Director; no. That said, while DE still made the majority of the profit for Leyou recently; under-performance of promised releases and engagement for 2019 resulted in an overall loss of $2 million which is stated as part of the explanation for why Leyou is pursuing the merger/buyout at this time. According to the HR; from before the deal went private; in an interview in late 2019, DE could use additional funds for the increased bringing on of staff they were doing and for improving hardware and technologies (licenses and upgrades to equipment for better upgrades to the game for example) so its likely that DE even if they individually had money to attempt to buy back their shares; would.

https://lfpress.com/business/local-business/digital-extremes-on-the-block-just-as-covid-19-drives-gaming-growth

wait a minute I read it DE use to be part of Hong Kong in other words part of China and that was 2015...does that mean we supported the Chinese government form the start?

quoting the news business be in the spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Spoiler

A London gaming business is seeing some growth, even as a change in ownership is in the wind.

Digital Extremes, maker of the Warframe game, has recently hired 14 staff, growing its ranks to 325, as its game is in demand since more people are home more due to COVID-19.

 

 

 

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“This is tied to COVID, especially with more people playing games now in isolation. We are seeing rapid growth,” said Heidi Flynn, human resources director at Digital Extremes.

As devastating as COVID-19 has been on many business sectors, some technology firms are seeing business opportunity and the gaming sector is one, added Christina Fox, chief executive of TechAlliance, the agency representing and advocating for technology businesses in London.

“There has been an increase for many tech companies” in London and across Southwestern Ontario, she said.

“It depends on the size of the companies and what technology they have. We are very busy now and we are seeing some positives.”

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Along with gaming, there is a demand for some types of software as more people work remotely, and for the tech-based health-care sector, and that may lead to more job growth in the sector, she added.

“I will say for both London and region, across Southwestern Ontario, there is an opportunity to attract and retain talent, especially in the gaming sector,” said Fox.

But this growth is also happening against a backdrop of uncertainty as Digital Extremes is about to be sold, for the second time in five years.

Bloomberg.com is reporting Chinese gaming business iDreamSky Technology Holdings Ltd. is in exclusive talks to buy rival gaming firm Leyou Technologies Holdings Ltd. for about $1.4 billion.

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Leyou, in Hong Kong, bought Digital Extremes in 2015 under its subsidiary Multi Dynamic Games Group.

“We have massive companies looking at us now,” said Flynn.

The business news website also reported Leyou has entered into a memorandum of understanding to sell 69.2 per cent stake of its business to an unidentified potential buyer.

Digital Extremes has added more than 100 jobs in London since the time it was sold in 2015, so a new owner may not mean uncertainty or job losses, added Fox.

“With any merger or acquisition, business could move, but given what happened after the last sale of Digital Extremes, I can’t imagine they will leave London when they have the talent base,” Fox said.

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“The economic impact they bring is significant. They have done incredible work to build a culture. I am hard pressed to think they would move, but it is anyone’s guess.”

Leyou bought 58 per cent of Digital Extremes in 2015 and another 39 per cent the following year for US$134.6 million.

Digital Extremes president Michael Schmalz could not be reached for comment. The company, founded in 1993, is located in Citi Plaza.

As for the new hires, the business has a “remote mentor” program where a staff person works with the new hire, easing their transition to a remote workplace in these pandemic times, said Flynn. The new hires are programmers, technical game analysts, customer support representatives and web developers, to name a few.

Digital Extreme’s most popular game, Warframe, is a space combat game available on all platforms.

The company is also going ahead with its gaming conference, TennoCon, in July. The event, which has drawn 3,000 fans to the city in the past, will now be virtual, added Flynn.

As well as a gaming conference TennoCon is also a charity event. The company has announced it will give proceeds from the conference to Autism Ontario London and Alzheimer Society London and *censorship*.

So basically this game originally was made by DE for it was in China because the company was doing poorly then somehow got to Canada as it has more workers then have to be re-sold to different gaming company.  Well isn't that irony.

 

[DrivaMain]

7 hours ago, 0asu said:

Not trying to beat a dead horse, but we already have Pay2Win in Warframe. 

A recent example is the Xoris nerf. Xoris is a free weapon that required no monetary investment that was completely gutted for its use with Warframe abilities but Rivens that people spend plenty of money on (that can achieve / supersede the Xoris) haven't been touched.

Rivens are not mandatory, instead it's a "nice to haves". If it is mandatory we can see everyone and their grandmas running rivens in all of their builds and content creators screaming "YOU MUST HAVE A RIVEN ON EVERY WEAPON".

[(PSN)UltraKardas]

On 2020-07-10 at 6:26 AM, Serafim_94 said:

Go take a look at Path of Exile and come back. It is a dumpster fire, true, but not one of Tencent making. If anything, it's a testament to how little Tencent interferes with game development.

Fun fact, btw. Chinese version of POE has loot-gathering pets. It's locked behind cash-shop, true, but the concept exists and is implemented. Meanwhile, western POE doesn't even entertain the concept of any QoL, payed or not.

Except that China is terrible for the game industry as a whole.

For proof? See how well the new Animal Crossing did in China.

Truth be told, if Tencent buys warframe, I will leave the game and never come back.

[(PSN)sweatshawp]

7 hours ago, Felsagger said:

Given Tencent has put such a huge bid on Leyou, territorially trying to stop Sony from acquiring it, I think it's same to assume Tencent has some plan in mind for Warframe, so there will be changes."

That's why I'm concerned, those changes. For me Sony was a better choice than Tencent. The cowboy with more money hoard harder. That's how it goes. 

You lot do know it’s not just for warframe right 

1 hour ago, OniDax said:

I don't think Leyou is obligated to allow DE full creative control, and I don't believe any new owner is obligated either. It remains to be seen whether or not a new owner will make changes, but as far as I can tell, they aren't forbidden from doing so. And I'm not so sure DE employees and staff would readily resign, especially not some of the long-time, but under 20-year employees (employment time, not age). I mean, where would they go?

Allowing creative control isn’t a thing as they still have and own the creative rights. That’s something you usually have to buy out

[OniDax]

6 minutes ago, (PS4)sweatshawp said:

Allowing creative control isn’t a thing as they still have and own the creative rights. That’s something you usually have to buy out

Digital Extremes owns it still and not Leyou? So Leyou owning DE doesn't mean they also own the IP?

[Urlan]

1 hour ago, OniDax said:

That article also provides some insight on the power that Leyou, and the new owner, has and will have. They can choose to move the studio to another location. They have the power to make changes if they want to. They aren't powerless as some believe. DE really doesn't hold much power when it comes to potential changes. 

I think your mistake is thinking DE can just require any new buyer to let them maintain creative control. DE has no power here to do that. Leyou can move them to another city or country if they wanted to. They may have had that power when Leyou initially bought them, but I'd think that went out the door when Leyou bought the remaining shares.

https://www.bennettjones.com/Mandates-Section/HKSE-Listed-Leyou-Technologies-Acquires-Balance-of-Digital-Extremes-from-Founders

Back when Leyou first acquired DE, they bought their non-voting shares:

https://games.mxdwn.com/news/leyou-technologies-holdings-purchases-digital-extremes-creators-of-warframe/

However, they bought the rest of the shares from DE. Now, Charles Yuk is the controlling shareholder.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/10/tencent-in-exclusive-talks-to-buy-hong-kong-gaming-firm-leyou.html

I don't think Leyou is obligated to allow DE full creative control, and I don't believe any new owner is obligated either. It remains to be seen whether or not a new owner will make changes, but as far as I can tell, they aren't forbidden from doing so. And I'm not so sure DE employees and staff would readily resign, especially not some of the long-time, but under 20-year employees (employment time, not age). I mean, where would they go?

What independence? I'm sure they value their semi-autonomy, but they don't enjoy independence. They are not independent. The semi-autonomy they enjoy, they enjoy at the mercy/grace of their parent company.

Very well researched; and yeah, that is my understanding as well.

[Rakosta_Kai]

47 minutes ago, OniDax said:

Digital Extremes owns it still and not Leyou? So Leyou owning DE doesn't mean they also own the IP?

Bear in mind that when Leyou bought out DE they did it over the course of two purchases and what they bought were controlling shares in what was once a private company.

Private companies frequently offer shares to employees of tenure.

Put simply, it's entirely possible that Leyou doesn't own ALL of DE...Just a controlling interest.

So, Leyou might own the WF IP but they couldn't do whatever they wanted with it...That would be the same level of control Tencent would have unless DE decides to relinquish it I'd imagine.

That also makes the possibility that DE can, conceivably, buy back their interest at some point down the road real as well.

I am an absolute idiot on the matter of mergers and acquisitions though so don't trust me... I have seen companies regain their independence after having been bought out in the past though.

[OniDax]

Just now, Padre_Akais said:

Bear in mind that when Leyou bought out DE they did it over the course of two purchases and what they bought were controlling shares in what was once a private company.

Private companies frequently offer shares to employees of tenure.

Put simply, it's entirely possible that Leyou doesn't own ALL of DE...Just a controlling interest.

So, Leyou might own the WF IP but they couldn't do whatever they wanted with it...That would be the same level of control Tencent would have unless DE decides to relinquish it I'd imagine.

That also makes the possibility that DE can, conceivably, buy back their interest at some point down the road real as well.

I am an absolute idiot on the matter of mergers and acquisitions though so don't trust me... I have seen companies regain their independence after having been bought out in the past though.

Leyou owns 97% of the shares. Perfect World Online Holding owns 3%. DE owns none of their shares. And, per another article, originally, DE had a founder and employee group that owned shares. They sold their shares to Leyou over two purchases, as you mentioned. Unless Perfect World Online Holdings owns the IP, I think it belongs to Leyou.

The only reason I'm asking is because people keep saying DE controls the IP and that Leyou can't make changes. I'm just wondering if that's actually the case now. Tencent might let DE do their own thing or the might not, but I'm interested in what power DE has to determine their own fate. I hope DE will be able to continue to determine their fate, but will be encouraged and empowered by Tencent to make some improvements.

[(PSN)sweatshawp]

1 hour ago, OniDax said:

Digital Extremes owns it still and not Leyou? So Leyou owning DE doesn't mean they also own the IP?

Yes de still owns the ip

[Angwah]

 

1 hour ago, Padre_Akais said:

I am an absolute idiot on the matter of mergers and acquisitions though so don't trust me... I have seen companies regain their independence after having been bought out in the past though.

A management buyout is not in the cards. Leyou acquired DE back in the day for, what? 150 million USD? I've seen figures between 1,2 and 1,4 billion USD getting quoted for the different offers they are getting now, and WF provides the lion's share of their portfolio's revenue. The current worth of DE is quite beyond the sort of money a collective of employees could possibly raise.

Also, way too late for that to happen. Until the exclusivity runs out, basically boiling down to Tencent saying 'nope, on second thought, not interested', no one else can get to the table.

Anyway, not too bothered with Tencent. People who think Tencent flushes billions down the toilet for the opportunity to turn brands like Fortnite, LoL, PoE, WoW and the like into spyware, somehow convincing the people in charge of and working for those companies into making themselves liable for lengthy prison terms, well, they should reassess their opinions to phrase it politely. Becoming an even bigger giant in the entertainment business is reason enough, no? There are other and cheaper ways for the CCP to get access to our data, such as simply buying it from Google or Facebook, because we are fine with them making bank with it, for whathever reason.

As for Tencent indirectly supports the CCP, meh, most of us live glass houses, with our own home-grown 'evil' multinationals, and I'll not put my energy into changing another country when there is plenty work to be done in my own.

[Kaotis]

En 10/7/2020 a las 14:21, Alkarnus dijo:

Who knows, if the current DE ever loses creative independence they might be motivated to make Warframe 2. Just my ten cents.

No cent no live, upvote from me.

 

En 10/7/2020 a las 14:26, Serafim_94 dijo:

Go take a look at Path of Exile and come back. It is a dumpster fire, true, but not one of Tencent making. If anything, it's a testament to how little Tencent interferes with game development.

Fun fact, btw. Chinese version of POE has loot-gathering pets. It's locked behind cash-shop, true, but the concept exists and is implemented. Meanwhile, western POE doesn't even entertain the concept of any QoL, payed or not.

In the lack of content cicle i usually hit PoE and I'm not sure why you classify the current game as a dumpster fire. True the in game premium cash is expensive ( but if you look at WF it also isn't cheap without discount). My real concern with PoE would be in the actual bots that are playing the game and ruining in some instances certain economic segments.

Technically the Bank , Map and other specialized tabs are QoL for organizing things.

[Loza03]

6 hours ago, katastrofa02 said:

Tencent ? isnt that chinese company who involved in many scandals about mass stealing data from phones, creating apps who illegally stealing data, creating viruses for pc and phones to install their stuff and all like these things? im kinda worried, actually VERY worried, can somebody call me down with strong arguments, or at least tell everything gonna be ok with game or something? i don't want my data being sold to china D;

DE is a Canadian Company, and no matter what Tencent says, DE still has to abide by Canadian law.

Canadian law states that any personal, identifiable data (most financial records, name, ID, even things like your comments and opinions) can only be gathered for a 'legitimate and identifiable purpose' - which I can't imagine being sold to China counts - and that it must be  gathered with your meaningful consent. Plus, depending on the sensitivity of the data and what they're going to use it for, they can't even hide stuff like that in the EULA, they have to be up-front about it. AND they can't store the data long-term without your explicit consent.

[VoreoTheDragon]

Best bet is to wait and see because the deal isnt confirmed YET.

Last i recall its a 3 month exclusivity period where only tencent can make the decision, if they decide not to then someone else could.
Sony would be nice but that could also be a disaster for the console community (remember destiny 1 exclusive updates?) and that could trickle into the pc space.

All in all though, both companies Tencent or Sony would likely leave DE to their own machinations and DE could just have an extra bit of budget if they perform well enough.

[Felsagger]

7 hours ago, OniDax said:

 

What independence? I'm sure they value their semi-autonomy, but they don't enjoy independence. They are not independent. The semi-autonomy they enjoy, they enjoy at the mercy/grace of their parent company.

True. 

At least someone needs to put an end or success to War Frame. I'm sure Tencent can do such wonderful job or at least motivate DE sabotage or improve War Frame a bit faster. If you notice the last three years and releases DE doesn't feel motivated and happy with their project. Maybe they don't like their situation where they are. War Frame was a product that navigates around a lot of inconsistencies in the lore story, the issue of the balancing, the intense set of issues that happens every time they launch new content, downgrades or a combination of all of them. 

Sometimes I question if DE likes what they are doing. To be honest I think they don't like Warframe at all if we consider the last two years. Would be better if they retire letting this Frankenstein die or allow another company end the project if we continue seeing similar level of commitment like Rail Jack and old blood. War Frame became an ill conceived creature like a Hilbert Matrix for computer science. The Hilbert Matrix itself enjoys a reputation for being numerically unstable when someone tries to invert them. It's like War Frame, the way War Frame was conceived makes the project unstable to manage causing many setbacks. 

Sadly DE can't float by themselves with projects that are average at best. War Frame became the analogy of Star Citizen 42. This GAAS F2P game requires too much resources to be handled properly and tight management. Players are feeling the drought seasons more often because the dependence in XP gates, Time gates for items in the foundry, Gear checks, RNG Rivens, drop chances gates and the fancy gadgetry fashion frame are getting more importance than the game play core of the IP. Enemy engagement was thrown away to the arena of being a Musou dull experience over the years. Skill is substituted by AoE nuking, regeneration or temporary invulnerability of any sort. There is no good balance between extrinsic game pay and intrinsic game pay. When I want to sleep I play this game for 10 minutes. War Frame works stupendously being a pill for insomnia and a stress release placebo. I wish that such game becomes a bit more when there is so much potential in it. 

They need a good publisher that provides them resources for them and their projects. We care too much for this game because we grew an attachment to it. Eventually another game will do that. I wish DE where independent and economically solvent but somehow their size and production doesn't allow them to sustain themselves. They are at tied to parent foreign companies with different mindsets. 

At this point we have two bags. The bag for the slaps and disdains and the bag filled with hope without having a solid game in front of us other than a good attempt. Yes we got lured like an Eidolon waiting for it to happen. We want it to happen but more situations makes harder the completion of such game. Even with our support and the increase of the player base the game quality seems to be stuck in hibernation. Maybe, and I hope conditions favor the IP, we could see a boost in quality for the next iteration of consoles. If things remains the same even Sony will not be able to improve War Frame. DE must buckle up and push harder the franchise. First they must find a like in War Frame, IMO. 

[Felsagger]

8 hours ago, OniDax said:

That article also provides some insight on the power that Leyou, and the new owner, has and will have. They can choose to move the studio to another location. They have the power to make changes if they want to. They aren't powerless as some believe. DE really doesn't hold much power when it comes to potential changes. 

I think your mistake is thinking DE can just require any new buyer to let them maintain creative control. DE has no power here to do that. Leyou can move them to another city or country if they wanted to. They may have had that power when Leyou initially bought them, but I'd think that went out the door when Leyou bought the remaining shares.

https://www.bennettjones.com/Mandates-Section/HKSE-Listed-Leyou-Technologies-Acquires-Balance-of-Digital-Extremes-from-Founders

Back when Leyou first acquired DE, they bought their non-voting shares:

https://games.mxdwn.com/news/leyou-technologies-holdings-purchases-digital-extremes-creators-of-warframe/

However, they bought the rest of the shares from DE. Now, Charles Yuk is the controlling shareholder.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/10/tencent-in-exclusive-talks-to-buy-hong-kong-gaming-firm-leyou.html

I don't think Leyou is obligated to allow DE full creative control, and I don't believe any new owner is obligated either. It remains to be seen whether or not a new owner will make changes, but as far as I can tell, they aren't forbidden from doing so. And I'm not so sure DE employees and staff would readily resign, especially not some of the long-time, but under 20-year employees (employment time, not age). I mean, where would they go?

 

Thank you. That's a good find. This helps me understand why I have those concerns. "They are not forbidden from doing so". That's why I'm worried. 

[Serafim_94]

8 часов назад, (PS4)UltraKardas сказал:

Except that China is terrible for the game industry as a whole.

For proof? See how well the new Animal Crossing did in China.

Truth be told, if Tencent buys warframe, I will leave the game and never come back.

Honestly, I just love how low-key racist those discussions are. Chinese are bad by definition. People on TV said so!

I have no idea how Animal crossing even plays because I have 0 interest in Nintendo products. Care to give actual examples of games ruined by Tencent?