Chinese firm buys 20% stake in Halo 4 co-developer Certain Affinity

Chinese firm Leyou Technologies has acquired a 20 percent stake in Austin-based developer Certain Affinity for $10 million. 

Established by a group of former Bungie employees back in 2006, Certain Affinity has co-developed a number of popular titles including Halo 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Doom. 

Leyou was at one time best known as a poultry supplier, but recently made inroads into the games industry after acquiring Dirty Bomb creator Splash Damage and Warframe developer Digital Extremes. 

The chicken peddler turned games mogul now hopes to work with Certain Affinity to create an "ambitious and exciting" new title. 

As part of the agreement, Leyou also has the option to snap up Certain Affinity's remaining shares in 2021 for a valuation based on an agreed formula. If that deal goes ahead, it could cost Leyou up to $150 million. 

"With its proven track record producing high-quality video games, Certain Affinity possesses the technical capability and talent to create highly successful titles, which in turn will assist Leyou in further diversifying its video game portfolio and enhancing its revenue streams," said Leyou CEO, Alex Xu.

"This strategic investment into Certain Affinity is consistent with the growth strategy of our company as we continue to look for opportunities to invest and increase our market share in the video gaming industry."