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WeChat accounts could double as state IDs in China
Some WeChat users in China will soon be able to use the chat app as a state-issued ID card. Financial Times reports that those living in Guangdong's capital city Guangzhou will be able to use facial recognition to link their identities to the app in the Nansha district this week. The feature will apparently roll out across the country in January.
China's most popular game is about to launch in the US
You might not have even heard of Arena of Valor (outside of a Twitch tourney), but it's all-consuming in its native China, with 200 million registered players and over 80 million daily active users. Tencent's mobile-only MOBA game, known as Honor of Kings in its original form, is so popular in its homeland that tournaments are everywhere and the game has time limits to prevent kids from playing too long. And now, Tencent wants it to become a household name in the rest of the world. In a confirmation of some earlier rumors, the tech giant is formally launching Arena of Valor worldwide on December 19th, with users in North and South America getting their first crack at the Android and iOS hit.
'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' is getting a mobile port in China
It was only about a week ago when Tencent announced that it's bringing a localized version of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds to China, and earlier today, the tech giant added that it's also porting the PC game to mobile platforms -- an interesting move given that there are already several Chinese mobile clones of PUBG (even smartphone maker Xiaomi has one). While it's hard to imagine how one could enjoy a chicken dinner on much smaller screens and sans keyboard or mouse, Tencent said together with PUBG Corp, they will ensure that this authentic mobile port of PUBG will remain faithful to its PC counterpart in terms of gameplay method, core elements and compliance with local content regulations.
'PUBG' will be tweaked to add socialist-friendly messages in China
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has been this year's sleeper hit, and it's about to officially be released in China. The rub is, it'll have some pretty significant changes given the country's strict state-mandated censorship. Local publisher Tencent will "make adjustment to content and make sure they accord with socialist core values, Chinese traditional culture and moral rules," according to a statement obtained by Reuters. Last month, China said that the game was too violent and that the game's sale would likely be blocked because it strongly goes against the country's "socialist core values."
Tencent is the latest tech company working on autonomous cars
Tencent is pushing beyond its WeChat messaging app and gaming, moving into the autonomous driving space. The Chinese conglomerate will tap its artificial intelligence and mapping initiatives to compete against the likes of Baidu, according to Bloomberg's sources. Back in 2015 Tencent announced it'd partner with electronics maker Foxconn (responsible for the iPhone and countless other gadgets in your house) to make smart vehicles. That happened in the same 24 hours that Baidu announced similar motives.
Clap for China's president anywhere, anytime with this app
If you wanted to applaud Chinese president Xi Jinping's recent speech but got stuck in traffic or were halfway around the world, well, there's an app for that now. Chinese internet titan Tencent has released a game that lets you tap the screen to clap during one of the eerily choreographed pauses amid a typical presidential address. Okay, so it's technically a "who can tap the most" game -- but it's still shrouded in performative adulation for a public official, which is only creepy if your government doesn't regularly force you to do it.
A Chinese tech giant tried to buy Spotify
Spotify is known for being fiercely independent, but that go-it-alone attitude might have been put to the test in the past several months. A TechCrunch source understands that Spotify rejected a buyout bid from Tencent, the Chinese internet giant behind WeChat, earlier in 2017. Reportedly, Tencent saw Spotify as an opportunity to expand its streaming music influence beyond China, where it thrives through services like QQ Music and KuGou. The insider doesn't say whether or not talks got to the point where a price came up.
Lilium secures $90 million to develop its electric VTOL plane
Like a few other startups, Lilium wants to make our flying car dreams come true with an electric VTOL craft you can summon with an app. Thanks to $90 million worth of new investment from China's Tencent and others, the startup may now have a leg up on its rivals. It will use the funds to drastically expand hiring in order to take the electric jet into the next stages of development.
Tencent becomes the exclusive Chinese home of the NFL
The NFL has signed a deal with Tencent that'll see the Chinese giant becoming the exclusive home of the game for the next three years. As well as most pre and regular-season games, Chinese fans will be able to watch both the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl. In addition, Deadline Hollywood says that ancillary shows, such as the Draft, Hard Knocks, Game Day and A Football Life are all included in the deal.
Chinese messaging app kills Microsoft's unpatriotic chatbot
A popular Chinese messaging app had to pull down two chatbots, not because they turned into racist and sexist bots like Microsoft's Tay and Zo did, but because they became unpatriotic. Tencent, one of the country's tech giants, removed the bots called BabyQ and XiaoBing from its messaging service QQ, which has over 800 million subscribers. According to Financial Times, they began spewing out responses that could be interpreted as anti-China or anti-Communist Party. For instance, when Beijing-based Turing Robot's Baby Q was asked if it loves the Communist Party, it answered with a resounding "No."
Tencent's hit game 'Honor of Kings' might come to US and Europe
Tencent has been taking on the Western video game market for some time now. The Chinese-based company has a stake in Activision, which in turn owns King, the maker of Candy Crush and an upcoming mobile iteration of Call of Duty. It also bought Supercell, the developer of massive hit, Clash of Clans, last year and purchased a majority stake in League of Legends' developer, Riot Games. Tencent also makes movies and is currently building an eSports complex and has plans for an Honor of Kings theme park. This last game is a massive hit in China, grabbing more than 50 million active users since its debut in 2015; the title brings in an estimated RMB 3 billion ($435 million) every month. According to Bloomberg, Tencent is making a move to bring Honor of Kings to the West, which could end up as serious competition for the mobile games the company also owns.
Tencent tackles mobile game addiction with time limits for kids
In the face of public pressure, Chinese internet giant Tencent is limiting play time for younger users of its hit mobile game Honor of Kings (dubbed Strike of Kings in the west). Starting Tuesday, anyone under 12 will be restricted to one hour of play per day, and those between 12 to 18 will be allowed two hours game time.
China cracks down on celebrity gossip social media accounts
The fans of 60 gossip bloggers on China's social media platforms, including ones owned by Tencent and Baidu, will have to get their daily fix elsewhere. Chinese websites and tech titans have shuttered 60 accounts focusing on celebrity gossip after authorities told them in a meeting that they must take steps to keep those kinds of pages in check. According to Reuters, a post on the Beijing Cyberspace Administration's social media account revealed the meeting and said that it expects websites in the country to "adopt effective measures to keep in check the problems of the embellishment of private sex scandals of celebrities, the hyping of ostentatious celebrity spending and entertainment and catering to the poor taste of the public."
Chinese internet giant Tencent is building an eSports park
Chinese internet conglomerate Tencent has made some big moves to boost its profile among online gamers, not the least of which involved purchasing SuperCell, maker of the hit mobile game "Clash of Clans", for a reported $10.2 billion. On Tuesday, Tencent announced that it will be going even further and will construct an "esports-themed industrial park" in the city of Wuhu.
Snap Inc. is expanding its presence in China
Snapchat is officially banned by the Chinese government, but its parent company Snap Inc. is looking to expand its presence in the country's tech and manufacturing hub of Shenzen. According to a CNN, Snap Inc.'s Shenzen office will work on research and development related to Spectacles, the company's only hardware device, which is already being manufactured in China.
China's WeChat messenger tests its own version of instant apps
WeChat might not mean much here in the US, but in Asia, the messaging app boasts some 800 million users. Its next step toward dominance is "small programs" that act like apps within the chat service, according The Information. These perform singular tasks, but won't require a download. "People would be able to scan a QR code via the WeChat app on their phone to use loyalty points at a favorite coffeeshop or transfer money without leaving WeChat or downloading a separate piece of software," the report says.
Tencent to debut live-streaming WeChat drone at end of month
Tencent, the Chinese tech giant that owns League of Legends, Supercell Games and WeChat, the most popular messaging app in China, announced on Friday that it will release a consumer quadcopter by the end of October.
Tencent buys the game company behind 'Clash of Clans'
As Candy Crush and Kim Kardashian have taught us, there's a lot of money in cheesy mobile games. Tencent has purchased Clash of Clans maker Supercell in a deal that values it at $10.2 billion. The Chinese company will acquire Softbank's 73 percent share of the game maker, which grossed $1.35 billion in 2015. The exact purchase price wasn't disclosed, but to pay for it, Tencent formed a consortium and is raising additional debt. Supercell will continue to operate independently from its headquarters in Helsinki, Finland.
'Contra' for phones looks just as tough as the console versions
The Contra game series is notoriously tough (there's a good reason it's synonymous with the Konami code), and it doesn't look like it'll be any easier in its smartphone version. Konami and Tencent have released a trailer for Contra Mobile which shows that it'll be just as frenetic as the console versions you've played in the past, complete with larger-than-life boss battles and turrets aplenty. There's even a player-versus-player mode if you don't think the AI is cutthroat enough.
'League of Legends' studio buys a fighting game powerhouse
Riot Games, the studio in charge of League of Legends, acquired Radiant Entertainment and all of its fighting game technology this week. Radiant is staffed by popular figures in the fighting game community, including former Street Fighter commentator and Capcom community manager Seth Killian. The studio was created by Tom Cannon and Tony Cannon, who are also founders of the world's largest fighting game tournament, the Evolution Championship Series. Radiant has two titles under its belt: the free, online fighting game Rising Thunder and the town-building simulator Stonehearth.
