The United States has blacklisted Tencent. That's according to Bloomberg, which reports that the tech and entertainment giant has been added to a list due to its alleged links to the Chinese military.
Tencent has said that its addition to this blacklist is "a mistake". "We are not a military company or supplier," Tencent spokesperson Danny Marti said. "Unlike sanctions or export controls, this listing has no impact on our business.
We will nonetheless work with the Department of Defense to address any misunderstanding." This blacklist has its origins in a 2020 executive order from then president Trump which blocked American companies from investing in Chinese companies that had ties to the military.
By any metric, Tencent is the biggest games company in the world. The firm owns Riot Games, Funcom and Sumo Digital, in addition to holding stakes in Epic Games, Remedy and Larian Studios.