Tencent launches early access WeGame X storefront internationally

Tencent launches early access WeGame X storefront internationally from Gamasutra

Tencent has followed through on its earlier plans to launch its digital PC game store WeGame internationally.

It’s a launch that comes as the conversation about competition between PC storefronts, particularly in regards to Steam and the Epic Games Store, is reaching new heights, though Tencent's entry, WeGame X, isn't a full launch quite yet.

On the English version of the WeGameX website (accessed from the drop-down menu in the upper right corner), Tencent notes that the 0.0.1 version up for download is an early access release.

According to a comment given to the website Abacus, the international WeGame X platform is “a product WeGame is testing to serve its global users” and the company hopes that, down the line, it will help to “bring more Chinese games overseas to cater to multiple gamer demographics.”

Tencent first announced plans to launch WeGame outside of China last summer, but had been quiet on that front since. Even still, the international release that popped up this month is notably an early access launch and still limited in features and catalog.

Currently, the store features 17 games, though not all up for sale have been localized for WeGame X’s international markets. The website also lists game-makers Deep Silver, Larian Studios, and Hello Games as “famous IP” that look to have games coming to the platform, and, later on down the page, offers an email address developers can contact for more information on the platform’s offerings.

Also related topic:

Chinese gaming giant Tencent is rebranding its digital store as 'WeGame' from PC Gamer

Could a showdown with Steam be in the offing?

Chinese gaming company Tencent isn't as well known in North America as it is in, say, China. But it is a huge player in the business—one of the biggest in the world, in fact. It owns League of Legends studio Riot Games and mobile game company Supercell, and it has holdings in Epic, Activision Blizzard, Robot Entertainment, Glu Mobile, and others. Its total revenues for the 2016 fiscal year were $22 billion dollars.

That's why it was a pretty big deal when Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad said on Twitter earlier this week that the company is preparing to rebrand its Tencent Gaming Platform—"basically Tencent's version of Steam," as he put it—to "WeGame," with "support for both Chinese and Global users." The obvious implication was that Tencent is gearing up for a move into the global marketplace, and by extension a showdown with Western digital big dog Steam—a fight it has the financial muscle to win.

Daniel Ahmad@ZhugeEX · Apr 17, 2017

Looks like Tencent will rebrand its 'Tencent Games Platform' to 'WeGame'.
It's basically Tencent's version of Steam.

Daniel Ahmad@ZhugeEX

So it seems it will support both Chinese and Global users.
Allow developers and users to interact
Support localisations
One storefront pic.twitter.com/uwGTayzZN4

191:17 AM - Apr 17, 2017Twitter Ads info and privacy

See Daniel Ahmad's other Tweets

Niko Partners later clarified in a statement sent to VentureBeat that the information wasn't entirely accurate, as Ahmad's information "came from a slide he saw on Tencent's Chinese website, which did not state global expansion of WeGame as part of the rebranding." That's not to say it won't happen, but the actual announcement of the change (and, hopefully, Tencent's longer-term plans for the platform) won't be made until tomorrow.

Ahmad told Motherboard more recently that he actually doesn't think Tencent will try to compete with Steam outside of China at this point: "Right now, Tencent is focusing on growing the platform in China and bringing as many games, both local and foreign, to Chinese gamers," he said. But if it does make a meaningful move to broaden its reach with WeGame, it could have a huge impact. This Gamaustra blog post demonstrates how the Chinese market is both massive and, from the perspective of Western developers, largely untapped. That, coupled with its significant reach advantage over Steam in China, means Tencent could quickly approach equal footing in the global market, and that's when things will get interesting.

The full WeGame announcement is scheduled to be made tomorrow. We'll update when it's out.

FYI, Tencent owns 48.4% of Epic. This might be a hostile take over then merge with EGS and WeGame.

That name sounds incredibly Chinese. Bootleg Chinese.

Damn, can you let Steam finish the fight with Epic 1st before you send in another launcher?

WeSpy

@Ant_17: Epic Store was losing against Steam so it called it's big brother WeGame to beat up Steam for him.

Asia-Steam to supplement Epic-Steam in an effort to displace OG-Steam?

meh

If it's better than Steam, I will give it a shot.

Not gonna lie, though, I am simply naturally suspicious of anything Chinese. At least as far as products and businesses go.

All this talk about Chinese spying, what exactly are they looking for? I got nothing of value for China.

It's more of a quality and ethical question, not spying. Workers are treated terribly in China, despite their growing middle class, while the quality of their products are also suspect a lot of the time. And yes I know I am a hypocrite because a whole lot of stuff is made in China, but if it's a Western-owned company contracted to Chinese companies they're generally treated better than just straight Chinese owned companies.

While I don't doubt they do some data-mining (or whatever it is called), like you, I don't really have anything of importance. As long as they don't monitor my porn-watching habits and then, say, threaten to tell my parents unless I sign up for something, I don't really need to be all that concerned. Though I have been getting a lot of Chinese robocallers lately...

I'm aware Chinese do treat their own workers crap and such, (looking at you Foxconn) but I do understand why you are wary of made in China because it's cheaper labor and it's something the U.S overlooks it. Can't say I care if they monitor my hentai habits and don't impact my life, it's whatever.

"we will use this platform to bring more Chinese games to the global market"

Take this Sony. PC is the true home of China Hero Project.

Will they sell Winnie The Pooh games on it?

"WeGame X"

LOL. Yeah, not gonna use that.

It's not unusual for Tencent to compete against itself:

LoL vs Arena of Valor

PUBG vs Fortnite

WeGame vs Epic Store

All of these are fully or partly owned by Tencent. Yet they give the illusion of competition, when in reality the competitors are owned or co-owned by the same company.