Tencent (chinese government) political oppression in gaming

[I can't imagine]

Unfortunately as someone pointed out right after my post, there's an exception for games. Which there shouldn't be, because they're just as susceptible to being used to steal information, possibly even more so as games often have direct access to hardware.

Unless I misunderstood it, the EO is targeting services that use WeChat for transactions, not Tencent as a whole. Since those services don't use it, the EO wouldn't apply.

 

[-4ZURE-]

Unless I misunderstood it, the EO is targeting services that use WeChat for transactions, not Tencent as a whole. Since those services don't use it, the EO wouldn't apply.

This ic correct, though one could argue that this is a phase 1. I am guessing that Trump is starting off small as a way to pressure China into some form of compliance. If it goes bad, the order seems to create a gateway in which Tencent’s other services could be put in jeopardy. I wanna see how this plays out. I am expecting a backing out from China for a good amount of western companies.

Also, thought I should leave this...
The man is a lawyer and explains the situation well.

 

[Someone Awful]

Unless there's another exception for reddit, Tencent made a $150 million investment in reddit too. Considering it's completely run by Communists over there, they're almost certainly feeding info to the CCP too.

If Reddit was going to be affected by the ban too, Trump would have made a separate EO for it. As it is, this is barely a happening for Tencent since like no one uses WeChat anyway.

What these recent EOs might lead to however, are stronger actions against China if Trump is re-elected. So we might see Tencent get their rear kicked in during a hypothetical second term for Trump, especially if he keeps the House.

 

[AnOminous]

Unless I misunderstood it, the EO is targeting services that use WeChat for transactions, not Tencent as a whole. Since those services don't use it, the EO wouldn't apply.

There are two EOs. The TikTok one and the WeChat one.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-addressing-threat-posed-tiktok/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-addressing-threat-posed-wechat/

"Section 1. (a) The following actions shall be prohibited beginning 45 days after the date of this order, to the extent permitted under applicable law: any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with Tencent Holdings Ltd. (a.k.a. Téngxùn Kònggǔ Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī), Shenzhen, China, or any subsidiary of that entity, as identified by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) under section 1(c) of this order."

That's not particularly coherent language.

 

[I can't imagine]

There are two EOs. The TikTok one and the WeChat one.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-addressing-threat-posed-tiktok/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-addressing-threat-posed-wechat/

"Section 1. (a) The following actions shall be prohibited beginning 45 days after the date of this order, to the extent permitted under applicable law: any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with Tencent Holdings Ltd. (a.k.a. Téngxùn Kònggǔ Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī), Shenzhen, China, or any subsidiary of that entity, as identified by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) under section 1(c) of this order."

That's not particularly coherent language.

I agree that the wording isn't terribly coherent, hence the "unless I misunderstood it". However, based on the later clarifications, I think my interpretation was correct.

And yes, there was also a EO issued for TikTok, but I didn't think it was all that relevant to this thread so I didn't mention it. AFAIK, Tencent doesn't have a stake in TikTok.

 

[AnOminous]

I agree that the wording isn't terribly coherent, hence the "unless I misunderstood it". However, based on the later clarifications, I think my interpretation was correct.

Well, it's was Trump has said. It's his own EO so whatever it actually says that's probably what he meant it to say. It's not quite the same as a law where intent doesn't matter.

 

[Haunted Gambler]

Sorry for necroing this thread but Tencent bought majority of Klei. Yes, I know it was 2 months ago but still, better late than never: https://forums.kleientertainment.com/forums/topic/126355-studio-announcement/

Spoiler: The Post

Hello everyone!


I want to take a moment to announce that we have agreed to deal for Tencent to purchase a majority stake in Klei Entertainment.


As part of this agreement, Klei retains full autonomy of creative and operations across all aspects of the studio, including projects, talent, and more.


What’s going to change?
There are some boring accounting changes that we will need to adjust to. Other than that, I will continue running the studio as before, with no changes to staffing, projects or other operations.


Why are we doing this?
Klei has been around for 15 years, and we have made many changes over the years in order to respond to a changing world. Consistently, my wish has been to enable people to do their best creative work, to learn and grow, to not have to worry about finances, and be able to enjoy their lives outside the studio. This has not changed.


This partnership helps us navigate a changing industry, and helps us focus on what we do best: making unique experiences that no one else can.


Who is Tencent?
Tencent has been in the games industry for many years, investing in companies that produce games such as Path of Exile, League of Legends, PUBG, Clash of Clans, Fortnite, and more.


In 2016, Tencent helped us distribute Klei games in China, with Don’t Starve Together being the very first game to launch on their WeGame platform. More recently, we’ve been collaborating with them on Don’t Starve: Newhome on mobile.


Why Tencent?
We looked at a lot of different companies, and over the years, we’ve worked with a large number of publishers and distributors. Tencent is the only company that we felt would let us retain the level of control that we demand.


We’ve been working with Tencent for years and even at points where we disagreed, they were always willing to work with us to find the best solution for everybody involved and defer to us when we felt strongly.


How does this affect Klei games in China?
As mentioned, we’ve been working with Tencent for quite some time. We worked with them to launch Don’t Starve Together in China in 2016, and have been working with them on our China launches ever since.


Players in China make up a large proportion of the players of our games, and we have been supporting them alongside our North American operation for several years. We don’t expect significant operational changes for China or anywhere else in the world, but we do expect that this partnership will help us to better support our players in China.

 

[AnOminous]

Sorry for necroing this thread but Tencent bought majority of Klei.

So are there now going to be Muslim extermination camps in Don't Starve? Maybe they'll just rename it Do Starve.

 

[Corn Flakes]

So are there now going to be Muslim extermination camps in Don't Starve? Maybe they'll just rename it Do Starve.

The irony of a Chinese company owning a studio that's published a game called "Don't Starve" is just too powerful.