Scrappy Studio Boss Feeds Tencent’s Lofty Global Game Ambitions
- MoreFun chief Zhang got his start with a huge web hit in 2010
- Studio looks to go global with big-budget multiplayer shooter
A decade ago, Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s MoreFun Studios was on the verge of collapse. Now the 1,600-strong operation and its leader Enzo Zhang are at the heart of the Chinese entertainment company’s ambitions to craft international hits.
Long overshadowed by Tencent’s bigger teams at Timi (Honor of Kings) and LightSpeed (PUBG Mobile), MoreFun in November released Arena Breakout: Infinite — Tencent’s newest Call of Duty-style PC shooter, targeting a genre that typically tops spending charts. It’s one of a handful of global titles the company hopes will anchor its most critical initiative: creating “evergreen” franchises that can generate sales over many years. Tencent, which is eager to rejuvenate its lineup and topline growth, will be counting also on MoreFun’s One Piece Mobile next week, an arcade-style fighter based on the bestselling anime.