Published , by Asif Khan
Published , by Asif Khan
As calls for boycotts of Blizzard spread across the Internet, players have taken aim at Fortnite and Unreal Engine developer Epic Games. The company is partially owned by Chinese media conglomerate Tencent Holdings, but Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has clarified what that invesment stake means from a decision making standpoint at the company. We asked Tim about Tencent in an interview at GDC 2018.
Speaking to The Verge this week, an Epic Games spokesperson stated, “Epic supports everyone’s right to express their views on politics and human rights. We wouldn’t ban or punish a Fortnite player or content creator for speaking on these topics.” Sweeney has been pretty vocal today on social media, tweeting at several critics to clarify how decisions are made at Epic Games.
Here's a breakdown of the conversation:
Jason Schreier, Kotaku: It'll be fascinating to see what Blizzard does and says today. Do they backtrack, risking the loss of billions of dollars as a result? Or do they continue supporting an authoritarian regime, alienating fans and employees in their never-ending pursuit of growth? Capitalism owns
Transdimensional CatSpider, @TCatspider: I'm more interested what @TimSweeneyEpic has to say. His company is 40% owned by Tencent after all.
Tim Sweeney, Epic Games: Epic Supports the rights of Fortnite players and creators to speak about politics and human rights.
Гусебесие и сосаети, @calibrono: so if say @tfue said "Free Hong Kong" in a post-game interview, you wouldn't do anything?
Tim Sweeney, Epic Games: Exactly.
Cherrish Choerry, @CherrishChoerry: I thought your company had a majority investor from the Chinese? Surely it would just end up in a similar situation, Investor pulls out, big chunk of cashflow? It’s not the right decision to make but I’m sure it puts any company on the edge
Tim Sweeney, Epic Games: Epic is a US company and I’m the controlling shareholder. Tencent is an approximately 40% shareholder, and there are many other shareholders including employees and investors.
Cherrish Choerry, @CherrishChoerry: 40% is a big cut though. They’re already apparently pulling out of the NBA League. Can you honestly say if a similar event happened you wouldn’t have to, sever ties with said influential figure, i.e the NBA coach/Hearthstone Champ
Tim Sweeney, Epic Games: Yes, absolutely. That will never happen on my watch as the founder, CEO, and controlling shareholder.
In our interview with Sweeney at GDC 2018, he detailed the relationship with Tencent. "They're just going around and making investments in companies they think have potential in the industry. They've been a good partner in just giving us advice, but we don't see them all that much actually."
Regarding censorship or penalties for Fortnite players voicing their opinion: "That will never happen on my watch as the founder, CEO, and controlling shareholder." It is refreshing to see a tech leader take a stand for free speech while other companies fumble around the topic. Blizzard should be taking notes, but the damage appears to be done as calls for a boycott continue. Epic Games Store has been a target for Internet hatred over the past few months, but this strong statement from Tim Sweeney certainly comes at a welcome time. Keep it locked on Shacknews for more news as it breaks from the front lines of the trade war.