Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios is forging a partnership with Tencent’s TiMi Studios, the developer behind Call of Duty: Mobile and China-exclusive game Honor of Kings, two of the biggest mobile games around.
According to a translated press release sent out by TiMi, the companies have teamed up for a “strategic partnership” to create “game content.” It’s unclear if this means TiMi will be building mobile versions of key Xbox franchises like Halo and Gears of War, or if it relates to some sort of companion content.
Along with Call of Duty: Mobile, which has received 500 million downloads worldwide, TiMi is also developing the upcoming mobile strategy game Pokémon Unite. TiMi reportedly earned $10 billion in revenue in 2020, making it one of the world’s biggest video game developers in terms of earnings.
TiMi also has a history of forging partnerships with companies outside of China. For example, Nintendo has a deal with TiMi to distribute the Switch within China. It’s possible that Microsoft could be looking to build a similar partnership with the company related to the Xbox One, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X.
