Washington is reviewing Tencent's investments in Riot Games and Epic Games over data security risks ahead of the upcoming Trump–Xi Jinping talks, according to the Financial Times.
The Donald Trump administration is currently debating whether to preserve or restrict Chinese giant Tencent's substantial investments in key gaming industry companies, including Riot Games and Epic Games. The timing of these discussions — just three weeks before Trump and Xi Jinping's planned April meeting — is being read as a "broader signal," giving Washington leverage heading into the negotiations.
These investments are currently undergoing an expanded review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Led by the U.S. Treasury Department, the committee is attempting to determine whether Tencent's presence poses a national security risk, particularly through potential access to the personal data of millions of users.
Some officials are pushing for a full Tencent divestiture, arguing that players' chat logs and financial data could be exploited for intelligence purposes — the same approach that was applied to TikTok.
Last month, the Pentagon added Tencent to its list of companies allegedly linked to the Chinese military.
Tencent is the undisputed global leader in the gaming sector and holds significant stakes in American companies: nearly 28% of Epic Games (Fortnite, Unreal Engine) and 100% of Riot Games (League of Legends, VALORANT, Teamfight Tactics). The Chinese group also owns 81.4% of Finnish giant Supercell (Clash Royale), 35% of French studio Ubisoft (Assassin's Creed), 16.25% of Japan's FromSoftware (Elden Ring), and 13.87% of South Korea's Krafton (PUBG).
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