Tencent acquires Back 4 Blood developer Turtle Rock Studios

Today, Tencent announced today its acquisition of game developer Turtle Rock Studios, known as the creator of Back 4 Blood and Left 4 Dead.

Tencent acquired Turtle Rock Studios by purchasing parent company Slamfire.

Turtle Rock will continue with its “independent operations” at its headquarters in Lake Forest, CA, under the leadership of co-founders Phil Robb and Chris Ashton.

“We are all looking forward to joining the Tencent family of studios,” said Steve Goldstein, president and general manager at Turtle Rock Studios. “Tencent’s outstanding partners, global reach, deep knowledge of gaming and unprecedented support will help us create the kinds of ambitious games we dream of, while allowing us to retain our autonomy and independent spirit.”

“We are huge fans of Turtle Rock’s games, especially their amazing approach to creating co-operative online games,” said Eddie Chan, chief strategy officer at Tencent Games Global. “We can’t wait to see what comes next, and we’re excited to be part of their future.”

“By joining the Tencent family, we will not only get access to their vast resources and expertise, but we have found a partner who is encouraging us to be ambitious and visionary,” says a post on Turtle Rock’s website.

Turtle Rock Studios was founded in March 2002 by Michael Booth and was later acquired by Valve in 2008. In 2011, the developer became an independent company. Today, the developer becomes the latest acquisition for Tencent. This year alone, Tencent acquired Sumo Digital, Yager, Stunlock Studios, and others.

[Sources]: Turtle Rock Studios: TRS and Tencent – [Archive]. Tencent (via Business Wire): Tencent Acquires Turtle Rock Studios – [Archive].