Over the past couple of years,Tencenthas made a name for itself due to its aggressive expansion plans in the western game development scene. While the Chinese-owned company has been reasonably successful in securing a foothold in the gaming industry, it would seem that not all of its advances were met with positivity and optimism.David Jaffe, the original designer of theTwisted Metalseries of games, is now claiming that he recently rejected a $100 million business offer fromTencent. His reasoning was, according to a recent Sacred Symbols+ podcast, based on the fact that Tencent is a Chinese enterprise: “I don’t want to do business with a company like that, with a government like that,” he explained.RELATED:Tencent Files Trademark for ‘Origin of the Wild’Thelist of studios that Tencent acquiredis rather long indeed, ranging from Klei Entertainment (Mark of the Ninja,Don’t Starve) all the way to Turtle Rock Studios (Back 4 Blood,Evolve). Jaffe wasn’t interested in adding his own name to the list, however, based on his principles. “In China, you just get picked up off the street if you go online and say something bad,” he said. To that end, he claims that he immediately refused the offer that seems to have come from one of Tencent’s western executives.
Jaffe even posted his response to the $100 million business offer via his Twitter account, in an attempt to dissuade people criticising him and claiming that he was making the whole thing up. “I don’t lie,” said Jaffe. Granted, it’s unclear what, exactly, the business deal would’ve entailed, as Jaffe currently doesn’t seem to have a game development studio of his own, and Tencent is mainly interested in buying shares of existing studios, as shown bythe recent majority investment in Tequila Works.
Whatever the case may be, Jaffe claims that he was thoroughly unimpressed by Tencent’s offer, and he seems to be happy with the content he’s been creating for his gaming-focused YouTube channel. It’s also worth pointing out thatthere’s a Twisted Metal reboot comingwithout Jaffe’s involvement, and Tencent may have been interested in developing a competing title in the meantime.
Somewhat surprisingly,Peacock will host aTwisted Metalseriesonce it releases, which may result in a bit of a resurgence for the franchise at large. The series, too, is being produced by Sony, and Jaffe doesn’t seem to be involved in its production, either, though he claimed that he was contacted about it at one point in time. Whatever the case may be, it’s unlikely to change Jaffe’s mind about Tencent.
