LightSpeed Studios
Subsidiary
Former nameLightSpeed & Quantum Studio
IndustryVideo games
Predecessor
  • Quantum Studios
  • LightSpeed
Founded2011
Hq locationShenzhen, Guangdong, China
Area servedWorldwide
Key people
  • Jerry Chen (president)
  • Steve C. Martin (Vice president)
  • Michael Pattison (Vice president)
ParentTencent Games
Websitewww.lightspeed-studios.com

LightSpeed Studios (formerly LightSpeed & Quantum Studio) is a Chinese video game development company under Tencent Games, headquartered in Shenzhen, China. It was founded in 2011 through the merger of Quantum Studios and LightSpeed.

The company is known for developing titles such as PUBG Mobile and Peacekeeper Elite. The studio has expanded internationally, establishing multiple branches focused on AAA game development. The company has multiple offices in China, the United States, Singapore, Canada, Britain, France, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries.[1]

History

LightSpeed Studios was originally founded in 2008 as Quantum Studios, a subsidiary of Tencent Games. It was responsible for developing online multiplayer games in China. In 2011, Quantum Studios merged with Aurora Studios, another Tencent subsidiary, to form LightSpeed & Quantum Studio. The team played a key role in Tencent's mobile gaming strategy, working on titles that adapted popular PC and console experiences for mobile platforms.[2]

In 2018, LightSpeed Studios launched PUBG Mobile globally, and it became one of the best-performing mobile games worldwide. By 2022, the game had generated $8 billion in lifetime revenue.[3]

In 2020, Tencent launched LightSpeed LA in Irvine, California, with the goal of developing AAA games for console and PC. Led by industry veterans, the studio focuses on narrative-driven and open-world projects.[4] LightSpeed LA later announced Last Sentinel at The Game Awards 2023, its first AAA open-world game set in a futuristic Japan.[5] In 2021, LightSpeed Studios established Uncapped Games in Los Angeles, California, led by a former Blizzard veteran, to focus on RTS games for PC.[6]

In 2022, the company changed its name to LightSpeed Studios and unveiled a brand-new logo.[7] In 2023, Lightspeed Studios acquired Lucid Games.[8]

In May 2024, Steve C. Martin, the former Rockstar Games producer and General Manager of Lightspeed LA, became the Vice President of LightSpeed Studios.[9] In November 2024, LightSpeed Studios announced the creation of LightSpeed Japan Studio, led by former Capcom producer Hideaki Itsuno. This studio was established to develop new intellectual properties, primarily action games, for global audiences.[10]

In March 2025, LightSpeed Studios announced that it would double down on developing new original intellectual property.[11]

Studios

  • Lightspeed LA[12]
  • LightSpeed Japan Studio
  • Lucid Games
  • Uncapped Games
  • Quantum Studio
  • S Studio
  • R Studio
  • H Studio
  • Happy Studio
  • TiKi Studio
  • Anyplay Studio
  • LightSpeed Tech Centre
  • Art Monkey Gang
  • Design Monkey Gang

Games

YearTitlePlatformsDeveloperRef.
2013Asura OnlineWindowsQuantum Studio[13]
2014Tencent MahjongiOS, AndroidLightSpeed Studios
2017Super NBAiOS, Android
2018PUBG: Exhilarating BattlefieldiOS, Android
2018PUBG MobileiOS, Android
2019Peacekeeper EliteiOS, Android
2020PUBG Mobile LiteiOS, Android
2021League of Legends: Wild RiftiOS, Android
2022Apex Legends MobileiOS, Android
2023UndawniOS, Android, Windows
2024NBA InfiniteiOS, Android
2025Valorant Mobile(China Version)İOS, Android
TBAFinal Fantasy XIV MobileiOS, Android[14]
Code: To Jin YongTBA[15]
Last SentinelTBALightSpeed LA[16]
Untitled action game by Hideaki ItsunoTBALightSpeed Japan Studio[11]

References

  1. ^ "LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS Unveils the LIGHTSPEED Universe, Its Vision for the Next Decade | INN". investingnews.com. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  2. ^ Chan, Khee Hoon (2022-03-02). "A closer look at Tencent, the world's biggest game company". Polygon. Archived 2025-02-14 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  3. ^ Gametube (2022-05-14). "PUBG Mobile crosses $8 billion in revenue, including $4.7 billion from China's version Game For Peace". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  4. ^ Saed, Sherif (2020-07-03). "Tencent establishes new studio in California". VG247. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  5. ^ Moran, Romeo (2023-12-08). "New Open World Game Last Sentinel Revealed". Game Rant. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  6. ^ Lincoln Carpenter (2024-04-20). "A studio helmed by StarCraft 2's multiplayer lead wants to create an RTS 'paradigm shift' with its unannounced game". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  7. ^ "Tencent Has Officially Rebranded Its Mobile Game Studio Lightspeed & Quantum to LightSpeed Studios -- Superpixel". www.superpixel.com. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  8. ^ "Lightspeed Studios acquires Destruction AllStars dev Lucid Games". www.gamedeveloper.com. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  9. ^ STUDIOS, LIGHTSPEED. "LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS Bolsters Executive Leadership Team with Appointment of Industry Veteran Michael Pattison to VP of Global PC/Console Publishing". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  10. ^ Writer, Sophie McEvoy Staff (2024-11-12). "Lightspeed launches new Japan studio led by Hideaki Itsuno". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  11. ^ "LightSpeed Studios unveils original IP strategy, including new AAA action game by Hideaki Itsuno". Gematsu. 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  12. ^ STUDIOS, LIGHTSPEED. "Join us | LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS". www.lightspeed-studios.com. Archived 2025-02-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  13. ^ "Tencent Games 'Asura' Lands in New York Times Square". www.prnewswire.com
  14. ^ Bailey, Kat (2024-11-20). "Final Fantasy 14 Announced for Mobile With Tencent Studio Spearheading Development". IGN. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  15. ^ Shukla, Aneesh (2022-06-30). "Code: To Jin Yong Is an Open World Game Set in Ancient China and Built With Unreal Engine 5". Game Rant. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  16. ^ Moran, Romeo (2023-12-08). "New Open World Game Last Sentinel Revealed". Game Rant. Retrieved 2025-03-22.