Chinese tech outfit Tencent has acquired a majority stake in Path of Exile developer Grinding Gear Games for an undisclosed fee.

The move was announced in an Q&A on the Path of Exile forums, where Grinding Gear reassured fans it will remain an independent company following the deal.

In short, that means the New Zealand-based studio will continue to make all the key decisions when it comes to developing and operating the free-to-pay online RPG.

"We spoke to CEOs of other companies that Tencent has invested in, and have been assured that Tencent has never tried to interfere with game design or operations outside of China. We retain full control of Path of Exile and will only make changes that we feel are best for the game," reads the forum post.

"We have been approached by many potential acquirers over the last five years, but always felt that they didn't understand Path of Exile, or that they had other agendas. Tencent's agenda is clear: to give us the resources to make Path of Exile as good as it can be."

The move means Tencent can add Path of Exile to a game roster that includes popular titles like League of Legends and Clash of Clans.

As hinted in the Q&A, it also means the company will be able to help shape the Chinese version of Path of Exile by requesting trial features, although Grinding Gear again pointed out that it'll only roll out those new features worldwide if they prove to "be a good fit."

You can find out more about the deal by checking out the complete Q&A right here.