Tencent Invests in Unrecord as the Viral Shooter Enters Production

Tencent has taken a minority stake in French indie developer Drama Studios, backing Unrecord, the hyperrealistic bodycam-style shooter that became a viral sensation in 2023. The investment will be used to expand the team and accelerate development as the game enters full production.

Drama Studios stated on X (formerly Twitter) that the funding will go toward hiring and speeding up work on Unrecord, which it describes as a single-player first-person shooter focused on hyperrealism, immersive gameplay, and storytelling. 

While the financial terms were not disclosed, the studio previously raised $2.5 million USD in seed funding from The Games Fund. Unrecord is currently ranked No. 9 on Steam’s global wishlist charts.

Drama Studios Secures Tencent Investment to Scale Development on Unrecord

Unrecord drew global attention after a two-minute-18-second trailer released in 2023 amassed roughly 40M views in under 20 hours. The footage, presented through a police bodycam perspective, sparked debate over whether it represented real gameplay and raised questions around realism and subject matter.

Drama Studios said players can expect further updates on the project next year, and released a new image to coincide with the announcement.

CEO and founder, Theo Hiribarne, said the studio has worked to meet expectations set by the initial reveal, stating, “since the surge of attention after our initial trailer, we’ve worked relentlessly to build a game that meets the expectations of our community.” He added that Tencent believed in the project and supported its growth, while respecting Drama Studios’ creative identity.

Mark Maslowicz, Tencent Games Europe’s VP of partnerships, said the company was impressed by the studio’s progress, noting, “this investment will help the studio unlock their full potential and deliver the first of many outstanding games.”

The deal comes as Tencent adopts a more cautious Western investment strategy after divesting from studios, including Splash Damage and Bulkhead, while still deploying capital selectively. Recent moves include a €1.6B (~$1.87B) investment in Ubisoft and increased involvement with studios such as Techland, Funcom, and Sumo Group, according to a Bloomberg report.

For Drama Studios, the backing provides resources at a critical stage, positioning Unrecord to move from a viral moment to full commercial production.