Chinese tech and entertainment giant Tencent has acquired 15.75 per cent of Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Games. 

Swedish media outlet DI reported on the news, saying that Tencent paid $80 million for its stake in the studio. The remaining 84.24 per cent of Arrowhead still belongs to its founders, Johan Pilestedt, Emil Englund, Malin Hedstrom, Peter Lindgren, and Anton Stenmark.

The deal values Arrowhead at SEK 5.1 billion ($532.8 million)

DI reports that Arrowhead had a turnover of SEK 959 million ($100.2 million) and SEK 729 million ($76.2 million) in profit. 

Arrowhead released Helldivers 2 at the start of 2024 and performed very well on PC, spending four weeks at the No.1 spot on Steam. 

"It's fantastic fun and I feel incredibly proud of what the team has managed to achieve. Above all, it's proof that what we do resonates with the player base," the studio's chief creative officer and ex-CEO Johan Pilestedt said.

He continued, speaking about the Tencent deal: "It also opens up opportunities for China as a market. Gaining access to the Chinese player base is the holy grail in the gaming industry." 

Arrowhead promoted Shams Jorjani to CEO in May 2024.