Tencent (Interactive Entertainment Business Group) has recently seen multiple personnel changes. After Tencent Vice President Zeng Yu submitted a retirement application due to the need to accompany his family and recuperate, First Financial News learned that Tencent issued an internal email stating that Zeng Yu would no longer serve as the head of the Technical Public Line and the head of the Technology and Content Platform under the Platform and Content Business Group. Instead, Ma Xiaoyi, Senior Vice President of Tencent Group, will concurrently take over as the head of the Technical Public Line.

Tencent stated in an internal email that due to business development needs, after discussions within the company, it has decided to adjust its organizational structure and make changes to the appointments of management personnel. Four departments or centers, including the newly established Efficiency Product Department, have been established, while three departments or centers, including the R&D Efficiency Department, have been abolished. Three departments or centers have been internally transferred within Tencent. The changes in the appointments of management personnel involve more than ten individuals, but except for Zeng Yu, who has submitted a retirement application, the majority of management personnel have been transferred or concurrently appointed, with only two general manager-level management personnel no longer holding their original positions.

The recent organizational restructuring primarily involves the middle-platform departments rather than the self-developed studio groups. Additionally, there have been reports that Huang Lanshao, General Manager of the Timi Studio and Executive Producer of Honor of Kings, will be stepping down. In response, a Tencent insider told reporters that to expand the global esports ecosystem of Honor of Kings and support the business's globalization strategy, Huang Lanshao will be fully responsible for the esports system and related competitions of Honor of Kings, leading the further development of Honor of Kings' global esports. Furthermore, it has been learned that Li Min will take over the studio's operations, with Li Min previously serving as the Producer of Honor of Kings.

After Tencent released its half-year report, Ren Yuxin (Chief Operating Officer of Tencent Group), Ma Xiaoyi, and Tang Yibin (Vice President of Tencent Group) held an internal face-to-face communication session. Ren Yuxin mentioned that Tencent Games is showing signs of recovery this year, although external pressures still exist, and the company has just caught its breath internally. He stated that Tencent Games' self-developed teams have been undergoing adjustments this year, aiming to reduce the number of studio levels in the organizational structure. Tencent's strengths lie in large teams and abundant resources, and excessive fragmentation into multiple small studios internally could weaken these advantages.

After the communication meeting, there were many rumors in the market about Tencent's organizational restructuring, downsizing studios, and layoffs. The rumors included the potential merger of multiple studios within Timi Studio, which currently employs over people, with an overall optimization ratio of % after the merger. Additionally, there were rumors that the "Pal" project at Lightspeed Studio had reduced its workforce by about %. In response, a Tencent spokesperson told reporters that there is currently no special team optimization plan for the relevant studios. On the contrary, there are still many vacancies and they are looking to recruit excellent talents. The external rumors about "large-scale adjustments" are untrue.

According to First Financial Daily reporters, the self-developed studio group has not yet undergone large-scale organizational restructuring, but some studios have recently undergone personnel optimization, with the specific proportion unclear. It is understood that those who are optimized are generally given a certain period to "live water" (apply for open positions) within the company.

In a company annual meeting this year, Pony Ma, Chairman and CEO of Tencent, stated that gaming is the company's flagship business, boasting of being the world's largest gaming company, as if resting on the laurels of past successes. However, the past year has presented significant challenges, with new generation gaming companies emerging rapidly. He noted that competitors are continuously producing new products, giving the impression that Tencent's gaming division has made no progress. Ma emphasized that Tencent cannot afford to rest on its laurels; it must advance or fall behind. He also mentioned that game exports represent the company's greatest hope for international expansion.

Additionally, in the earnings conference calls following the release of Tencent's first and second quarter financial reports this year, the company's management emphasized the importance of evergreen games. During the conference call following the second quarter financial report, Tencent's management stated that the recovery of domestic game market revenue growth and the accelerated growth of international game market revenue in the second quarter were due to the increased user engagement in several evergreen games. They aim to further build existing successful games into evergreen games.