Tencent designated as a ‘Chinese military company’ by U.S.

League of Legends

Chinese gaming giant Tencent has been officially designated as a “Chinese military company” by the United States Department of Defense.

Tencent is one of the authoritarian nation’s biggest game developers and publishers and is largely known in the west for its full ownership of Riot Games and League of Legends, however the company has its tentacles in dozens of other companies as well.

According to the New York Times, a spokeswoman for Tencent disputed the DOD’s classification of the company, saying:

Putting Tencent on the list was “clearly a mistake,” a spokeswoman for the company said in an emailed statement. “We are not a military company or supplier.”

However as a China-based company, Tencent is beholden to many of the country’s authoritarian rules which could compel the company’s assistance with military operations and intelligence. This fact is the basis for the years-long controversy regarding social media platform TikTok.

The list published by the DOD is intended to be a warning for US-based companies that working with a company on the list could preclude them from receiving contracts from the Pentagon. Video game companies have worked with the United States military in the past, so while it may not seem like a big deal it could actually impact US-based companies involved with Tencent.

,

About

A basement-dwelling ogre, Brandon's a fan of indie games and slice of life anime. Has too many games and not enough time.


Where'd our comments go? Subscribe to become a member to get commenting access and true free speech!