Tencent leads $10 million investment into fitness game maker Quell

Tencent has led a $10 million investment round in fitness game developer Quell.

The news means Quell has now raised $15.6 million to date and will allow the UK company to upsize its launch title, Shardfall, which is described as an "intense combat experience" that tasks players with battling mystical creatures to defend a sacred forest.

Quell also intends to use the funding to commence large-scale production of its "Impact" fitness gaming system, which combines proprietary motion and biometric tracking technology with haptic sensors to offer an immersive play experience that also doubles as a workout.

The company explained the system is capable of measuring calories burned, heart rate and speed, and can automatically adjust game and workout difficulty to deliver high-intensity exercise.

Commenting on the investment, Tencent's chief European representative Dr Ling Ge said the company is confident Quell has the potential to "drive fitness gaming to the mainstream."

"Tencent is delighted to support Quell as it looks to bring the future of fitness to consumers globally," they said in a press release. "Until now, fitness gaming was an undeveloped sector, providing either a great gaming or fitness experience, but never both. Quell’s Impact device solves this problem—by refusing to sacrifice entertainment or exercise, it provides a consistently entertaining, exhilarating home fitness experience."