Chinese tech and game company Tencent has made a “substantial investment” in retro streaming platform, Antstream Arcade.
Although the size of the Series A investment wasn’t disclosed, it’s still a notable deal for the platform given Tencent’s status as one of most high-profile players in China.
Antstream itself is being pitched as the world’s first retro game subscription service, and plans to offer over 2000 titles across a range of devices for a monthly fee.
Publishers including Codemasters, SNK, Data East, and Arc System Works have already pledged their support, and will bring popular franchises like Double Dragon, Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, Gridrunner, and Metal Slug to the platform.
“Antstream’s snackable format allows gamers to ‘pick up and play’ classic retro games on demand, interact with social challenges on the platform and compete with friends,” reads a press release.
“It offers retro fans the ultimate arcade experience with a back catalog of games available via streaming; eliminating the need for separate vintage gaming hardware and opening up access to long forgotten or previously unobtainable games.”
The service was initially funded via a Kickstarter campaign, and soft launched in Europe earlier this month. It’s expected to arrive in the U.S. towards the end of 2019.