Can Pokémon help Tencent crack the West?

TiMi Studio bets on their new Pokémon game can do for Tencent what Arena of Valor couldn’t

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TiMi has done great in China. But can it catch ‘em all internationally with a new Pokémon game? (Picture: Unsplash)

Published: 11:30pm, 23 Jul 2019Updated: 9:09am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Tencent’s TiMi Studio made one of the hottest games in China, but it hasn’t had much luck in the rest of the world. Now it’s making a bet on Pokémon to help change that.

TiMi is the studio that brought the world Arena of Valor, the international version of the Chinese blockbuster multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game Honor of Kings. The game didn’t take off elsewhere the way it did in China, though. So the studio is now trying something different, teaming up with The Pokémon Company to work on a brand new Pokémon game.

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Not much is known about the game right now, but early signs suggest this isn’t a China-only game. The company is currently seeking a veteran creative director and a seasoned game director based in Los Angeles to manage a US-based creative team that will help with a global launch for the game. Candidates are required to have experience working on AAA titles, but proficiency in Mandarin or Japanese is only recommended, not required.

Chinese games industry analyst Daniel Ahmad of Niko Partners said the new Pokémon game “will be a global game with competitive elements.” The studio is also “taking expansion seriously” by focusing on different gameplay genres and esports, he said.

TiMi’s renewed focus on the US market comes two months after reports that Arena of Valor suffered a big decline in players there. This led to rumors that TiMi would disband overseas teams dedicated to the game, which the company denied.