A consortium formed by internet company Tencent and instant messaging service Line has paid KRW 1.2bn ($110m) invested in Korea-based mobile game developer 4:33 Creative Lab, Business Korea reported on Tuesday.
Tencent, which operates instant messaging service WeChat, and Line picked up a 25% stake in 4:33, and both made their investments as part of a larger corporate strategy to boost their games offerings.
Access to original games will give the companies content that can be sold through their services, and signifies that China-based Tencent and Japan-based Line are aiming to capture the diversified Asian mobile market.
Tencent has already funded several developers, and has reportedly invested $512m in Netmarble Games, $91.4m in Carbon Eyed, and $18.3m in Pati Games.
Line meanwhile formed a $100m corporate venturing fund in August to invest in developers, at the same time as it acquired a 10% stake in Gumi as part of a strategic agreement.