On Tuesday, The Information reported that Chinese conglomerate Tencent has bought an estimated 70% to 80% stake in Bohemia Interactive, the Czech Republic-based DayZ and Arma developer The report said the deal is worth $260 million, according to one person familiar with the matter, suggesting that it was part of a larger plan to expand Tencent’s reach in Europe. Now, Bohemia is saying that it’s not happening, according to a Google-translated statement made to Hospodarske Noviny.
“It’s not true. Tencent [didn’t] buy us. Bohemia Interactive remains an independent studio,” studio head Petr Polacek reportedly said. “We don’t know where this information came from.” The developer explained in a press release issued to the same outlet that it has had conversations about “strategic cooperation” in the past, and will continue to do so, but things remain unchanged for now. Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad said that Tencent is looking to compete with Chinese rival NetEase, and the move could be born from a desire to acquire Ylands, the little known sandbox game created by Bohemia, which Tencent distributed in China. Bohemia Interactive recently released new DLC for Arma 3. The studio, of course, continues to support Arma 3, DayZ and Vigor on PC and consoles, but its plans for the future are not clear beyond that.
