Tencent removed two directors from Epic Games' board of directors following an antitrust investigation by the US Department of Justice.
The government agency “expressed concern” that Tencent had directors on Epic's board when it is also the parent company of competitor Riot.
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In a statement, the department said that by simultaneously serving on the executive boards of two competing companies, Tencent was violating Section 8 of the Clayton Act, a US law designed to protect consumers from potentially harmful business practices.
“Scrutiny around interlocking addresses remains a law enforcement priority for the Antitrust Division,” said the department's deputy director of civil law enforcement, Miriam R. Vishio.
“Due to the hard work of our tremendous staff, our increased Section 8 enforcement in recent years has achieved substantial results and has become part of our fabric.”
We recently learned that Ubisoft was continuing its talks with Chinese giant Tencent over a potential purchase deal that would take the Assassin's Creed maker private.