Tencent Wants the Next Larian, With BG3 as a North Star
Tencent names Baldur's Gate 3 and Elden Ring as benchmarks as it searches for the next Larian or FromSoftware.
Tencent is hunting for the next studio capable of producing a generational role-playing game, and it has named two titles as its benchmarks. Yong-yi Zhu, a Tencent Games vice president, told The Game Business that Baldur's Gate 3 and Elden Ring serve as north stars for the company's development ambitions. Rather than judging games by region, he said, Tencent looks for talented teams with a distinct vision and a willingness to keep sharpening their craft within a single genre for years.
Zhu pointed out that neither benchmark was an overnight triumph. Larian built its way to Baldur's Gate 3 through the Divinity series, while FromSoftware climbed from Demon's Souls through Dark Souls and Bloodborne before Elden Ring arrived. Tencent, which holds stakes in both Larian and FromSoftware owner Kadokawa, says it is prepared to wait through several games for that kind of progress. Zhu also noted that much of Tencent's own output is live-service, which he believes cushions the company against the industry's sharper cycles, even as it trims teams during early concepting.
Tags
- business
Sources
Where this story ran: one outlet on 5 October 2026. The summary above is written by GamersGuild; the links go to the original reports.
Games in this post
Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 is a turn-based role-playing game based on the fifth edition rules of Dungeons & Dragons. The player leads a party infected with a mind flayer parasite and decides how the group deals with it.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is an action RPG set in the Lands Between, a large open world of ruins, castles and underground regions. Combat is slow and punishing, and the game gives few direct instructions about where to go.