Tencent continues to solidify its position in the global gaming market with the launch of the game distribution platform WeGame X.
Tencent’s WeGame has been around since last year, but has remained a Chinese-only game client. The new iteration of the platform will allow the tech giant to sell games internationally.
Much like Tencent’s recent announcement of its cloud gaming service “Start,” the launch of WeGame X did not receive a lot of media coverage. This is because the new store only features 17 games at the moment and a bunch of DLCs. 5 more titles are coming soon despite having the expired release dates on their respective pages. All downloadable games are from Chinese developers, including indie studios.
Should Steam, Origin, and Epic Games Store beware of the newcomer?
Not just yet. Rather than being a full global extension of WeGame, WeGame X in its present form allows Tencent’s to test the waters before entering the overseas market.
To be fair, even if WeGame X never makes it globally, in China alone, Tencent’s digital store boasts 200 million users. The number easily beats Steam’s 90 million montly active players.
However humble WeGame X’s beginnings are, Tencent is doing everything to secure a role in the future of gaming. After all, the Chinese behemoth already owns Riot Games and Supercell and has major stakes in Epic Games and Activision-Blizzard.
For some perspective, check out our recent post on the launch of Tencent’s cloud gaming platform.