Riot: Tencent acquisition "opens up more doors"

Riot Games president Marc Merrill has said the company's recent majority acquisition by Chinese publisher Tencent will "open up more doors" for the League of Legends developer, which retains its "autonomy".

"Both Tencent and Riot are committed to allowing Riot the autonomy to leverage the creativity and innovative talent that led to the success of League of Legends," Merrill told Big Download.

"Tencent is investing in Riot because they see value in the team and want our talent to have the freedom to innovate and create."

Later, he added "This only opens up more doors for Riot. Our vision remains absolutely the same and Tencent is giving us the independence to continue to pursue it.

"Our means to achieving that vision are expanded," he concluded.

Expanding on that last point, Merrill explained that Tencent's superior financial backing provides a solid foundation for current and future projects - including new hires.

"Tencent's investment provides Riot with additional resources to expand our talented team," he explained. " ... and launch new projects in the future."

Thanks, John.