Tencent
Latest
Nubia's new Red Magic phone packs a 165Hz screen and up to 18GB of RAM
Nubia is back with the Snapdragon 888-based Red Magic 6 series gaming phone, which boasts a faster internal fan, along with two world firsts in the mobile market: a 165Hz display and up to 18GB of RAM.
China cracks down on big tech companies with new anti-monopoly measures
China is clamping down on big tech conglomerates by tightening its anti-monopoly guidelines for internet and digital payment services. The new rules effectively block companies from forcing sellers to choose between the leading online players, a common practice in the country, reports Reuters. The guidelines are aimed at Chinese heavyweights including e-commerce providers such as Alibaba Group’s Taobao and JD.com and mobile payment services like Ant Group’s Alipay or Tencent’s WeChat Pay.
TikTok owner ByteDance sues Tencent in China
ByteDance claims Tencent broke the country’s antitrust laws by blocking people from accessing content from Douyin on WeChat and QQ.
Huawei restores Tencent games to its Chinese app store after dispute
Huawei has pulled Tencent games like Arena of Valor from its app store because of a “big change” Tencent made in how the companies work together.
Judge blocks US ban on WeChat app downloads
A judge has blocked the Commerce Department's attempt to ban WeChat downloads, citing First Amendment concerns.
'PUBG Mobile' will escape India ban by cutting out Tencent
PUBG Corporation says it’s looking for ways to bring its mobile apps back to India.
WeChat user alliance sues Trump administration over threatened ban
An alliance of WeChat users is suing the Trump administration over an executive order that could ban the chat app in the US.
Disney, Apple and more voice concerns over WeChat ban to White House
After President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would ban all US transactions with messaging app WeChat, some of the biggest names in American industry have begun to voice concerns about the shift directly to White House officials. According to a report published by the Wall Street Journal, representatives from “more than a dozen” major US companies, from Apple to Walmart to Disney to UPS, participated in a call this past Tuesday to highlight how they might be affected by action against taken against WeChat.
Trump executive order seeks to ban TikTok, WeChat 'transactions' in 45 days
Donald Trump issued two executive orders stating a ban on transactions with Tencent and ByteDance, the Chinese parent companies of WeChat and TikTok.
'PUBG Mobile' gets its first exclusive map
For the first time in two-year history, PUBG Mobile is getting an exclusive map.
Tencent's new blockbuster US game studio is led by a 'GTA' veteran
Tencent is expanding its footprint outside of China by launching a US studio devoted to 'AAA' games, with a Rockstar veteran at the helm.
India has banned TikTok, WeChat and many other Chinese apps
The government cited citizen concerns over privacy and data security.
The next 'Don't Starve' game is a mobile title from Tencent
'Don't Starve: Newhome' adds to the survival gaming saga -- if you're willing to play on a phone.
Sony Pictures signs on for 'Crossfire' movie based on the popular FPS
While the Crossfire name won't register as one of the most popular shooters for some US gamers -- no, it's not related to the board game with the tiny metal balls -- the free-to-play tactical first person shooter is extremely popular in China and South Korea. In operation for over ten years, it claims a player base of over 650 million plus lifetime revenue of over $10 billion, and producer Neal Moritz (Fast & Furious series, S.W.A.T., Preacher, The Boys) has been developing a film adaptation since 2015. Now Variety has announced that Sony Pictures will partner on the flick with Korean game developer Smilegate and China's Tencent Pictures.
'Bayonetta' developer is the latest to throw itself at Tencent's feet
Chinese gaming giant Tencent has its fingers in the pie of yet another well-known developer. PlatinumGames chief Kenichi Sato has confirmed that his company took a "capital investment" from Tencent as part of a "basis for partnership." Sato didn't say how large the investment was, but he promised that this would have "no effect" on Platinum's independence or structure.
The Nintendo Switch finally launches in China on December 10th
As expected, Nintendo will officially launch the Switch console in China on December 10th in partnership with Tencent. It will sell as a bundle for 2,099 yuan ($298) with a copy of New Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. In addition, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Mario Oyssey are now available to pre-order, and "additional first party games are being prepared for the China market later," Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad wrote on Twitter.
Tencent reportedly wants to develop its own games with Nintendo characters
Tencent has eyes on building Nintendo-style games with Nintendo characters, at least according to the Wall Street Journal. It quotes an unnamed Tencent official saying the company wants to "expand from China" by building console games for the US and Europe. Rather than push its own ideas an IP, however, Tencent will try and become a household name here by piggybacking on Nintendo's.
'PUBG Mobile' Payload Mode adds helicopters and airstrikes
PUBG on your phone is about to get decidedly more lethal. Tencent has introduced a promised Payload Mode to PUBG Mobile on Android and iOS that adds both aerial combat and the means to defend yourself. You can fly in attack helicopters to wreak havoc on the ground, and fight back with rocket and grenade launchers as well as a minigun. You can also draw on airstrikes to level the playing field.
Safari in iOS sends some Safe Browsing data to Tencent (updated)
Apple's Safari browser has long sent data to Google Safe Browsing to help protect against phishing scams using its Fraudulent Website Warning feature, but it now appears Chinese tech giant Tencent gets some information as well. Users have discovered that iOS 13 (and possibly versions starting from iOS 12.2) sends some data to Tencent Safe Browsing in addition to Google's system. It's not clear at this stage whether Tencent collects any information outside of China -- you'll see mention of the collection in the US disclaimer, but that doesn't mean it's scooping up info from American web surfers.
Blizzard halves 'Hearthstone' pro's suspension over Hong Kong protest
Three days after Blizzard handed down a year-long ban to pro Hearthstone player 'Blitzchung,' aka Ng Wai Chung, the company has walked back its decision. In a letter to fans Blizzard president J. Allen Brack stated that they decided since he played fairly, he is entitled to his winnings, which had been stripped after he called for the liberation of Hong Kong during a postgame interview. The suspension for Blitzchung and the Taiwanese shoutcasters who were interviewing him is now six months, as "a consequence for taking the conversation away from the purpose of the event and disrupting or derailing the broadcast." According to Brack, this is the company not trying to take sides and that its relationships in China -- namely Tencent's ownership stake in the company -- had no impact on the decision. It remains to be seen how this move will go over in China, where a response to the NBA's statement regarding a Hong Kong support tweet by Daryl Morey saw the league's games pulled from TV and signage taken down. Meanwhile, for the many gamers angered by Blizzard taking action against one of its esports players, claiming that "Every Voice Matters" while also insisting that its games "are not a platform for divisive social or political views" will be difficult to take seriously.
