Tencent Group of China is said to be about to buy back parts of the Xiaomi Black Shark Gaming in a deal worth about $ 470 million.
According to Gizchina, with the acquisition, Tencent will integrate Black Shark Gaming into the company’s Content Business Group division as a preparation step for plans to participate in the metaverse. This information comes from 36Kr and various independent sources. The sources added that Black Shark will also undergo a transformation business once the acquisition is complete.
This diversification will grow to include devices and , the report added technologies virtual reality (VR)-based . So the software content for VR will be provided by Tencent, while Black Shark produces the hardware.
It is known that Black Shark is a gaming smartphone brand founded in 2017. Up to now, Xiaomi is a major shareholder of Black Shark when holding about 46.4% of the shares.
Tencent has yet to make an official comment on the rumored deal, but the fact that technology companies are moving towards the AR / VR field, and especially the metaverse, is not too surprising. Back in the third quarter of 2021, Tencent filed for nearly 100 trademarks related to the metaverse. Although the company has yet to confirm the information, it is understood that it is looking for companies with experience, facilities dedicated to R&D and production to build a platform through which content, Their content can be accessed in the metaverse.
Previously, Facebook also acquired Oculus to fill a hardware gap in its plan to provide both VR content along with devices where users can access the world VR .
Another source added that Tencent has likely contacted all the companies with AR/VR related projects in the market, such as HTC. However, as a company that provides some of the most popular games in the market, it is not surprising that they decided to choose Black Shark.