Tencent Holdings Inc and Remedy Entertainment have reached a deal allowing the latter to localize and sell the former’s upcoming mystery game “Vanguard.” Tencent will localize, promote, and publish Vanguard in select Asian markets, which is presently in development for PC and consoles. The holding company is also in charge of building a mobile port for the lucrative Chinese market.
“Vanguard marks Remedy’s first entry into Games-as-a-Service business model, executed by our top tier team of free-to-play experts,” said Remedy CEO Tero Virtala. “We are building something new and exciting for co-operative multiplayer space, on top of Remedy’s strengths. Expanding our capabilities to take on publishing responsibilities is the next step in the development of our company. We are excited for this long-term partnership with Tencent and with confidence can say that it is an excellent fit in supporting Vanguard’s ambitious plans.”
Vanguard
“Vanguard” is expected to be a large-scale, free-to-play co-op shooter that combines cutting-edge graphics and high-intensity gameplay with Remedy’s passion for deep mythology and complicated clandestine tales. While Remedy has proved its ability to create terrific action games with innovative plots (Max Payne, Alan Wake, Control), the free-to-play/games-as-a-service angle is bound to raise a few eyebrows.
Vanguard, which is still in the proof-of-concept stage, is clearly a long way from seeing the light of day. As a result, Remedy will need to assess the landscape in terms of both gaming audiences and gaming itself. Vanguard appears to be an enormously ambitious project — arguably Remedy’s most ambitious to date — so let’s hope that the game’s final form is as appealing and engaging to players as it is epic and touted in its marketing rhetoric.
