Complex gameplay and the challenge of figuring out the best designs for characters in new "leagues" have helped keep Path of Exile popular.

The company behind hit role-playing computer game Path of Exile has shown that making big money from creating online worlds is no fantasy.

However, Chris Wilson, the game's co-creator says it's business as usual since Chinese technology giant Tencent bought a 80 per cent stake in his firm, Auckland games studio Grinding Gear Games.

Tencent also has approval from the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) to buy the remaining 20 per cent of the Kiwi company over six years.

The entire deal would be worth more than $100 million, the OIO paperwork shows.

Tencent is a huge player – it's valued at more than $720 billion, making it almost as valuable as social media giant Facebook ($793b).

Path of Exile is free but players can pay for "cosmetic" in-game enhancements such as "skins" which change the appearance of weapons, or virtual pets that will follow players around in the game.

Tom Pullar-Strecker talks to Wilson about how it all happened.

How old are you?

I'm 35. I was 24 when we founded Grinding Gear Games.

How did you come to set up a games company?

I had been playing a lot of online action role-playing games such as the Diablo series, Titan Quest, Dungeon Siege and so on with my friends Jonathan Rogers and Erik Olofsson.

In 2006, we felt there was a gap in the market and between us we had the skills to start a studio that could make a game like these ones.

What are Path of Exile's playing numbers?

About 20 million people have played it. Typically, it has about 300,000 daily active users.

What in your view has been key to its popularity?

People love the number of different ways they can build their characters in Path of Exile. The game is all about combining active skills, support gems, passive skills, random and unique items and other elements to make custom characters that use their skills in new and interesting ways.

We also update the game with new content and rebalanced game-play values every three months, to keep it fresh. These things have been the key to its popularity.

SUPPLIED Fans of Path of Exile watch the game at an event in Shanghai.

What do you most like about the game?

I personally really enjoy finding items. A lot of my best memories of Path of Exile are tied to acquiring valuable new items that made my character really powerful. I suspect this is true for many players, and it's something that we have tried to design around as much as possible.

How did the Tencent offer come about?

Tencent are the publisher for Path of Exile in China. We have had a great working relationship with them for several years, which naturally led into the deal discussion.

Does Grinding Gear Games have any plans beyond continuing to develop Path of Exile, for example for other games?

Currently, 100 per cent of our efforts are going towards Path of Exile-related content.

We're going to keep developing Path of Exile in the same way that we have been so far. New content every three months, trying to surprise people with the things we try out.

Some players are suggesting people will be less likely to support Path of Exile by buying cosmetic in-game items now the company is no longer an "indie" developer; ie. that there was an element of philanthropy behind their purchases which may disappear now it is corporate-owned. Is this a concern?

We still rely on their purchases to support the development of Path of Exile as we're financially independent from our parent company.

We have always tried to provide good value for money with the purchases that we offer, while never straying into "pay to win" territory.

We hope that by continuing to provide free large updates to the game every three months and not compromising its core values, players will continue to support its development.

Diablo 3 has been a big competitor for Path of Exile? Have you heard if there will be a Diablo 4?

It was when it came out, but we continued to update Path of Exile heavily after release, tripling its size since then. I haven't heard anything about other projects that they may be working on.

GETTY IMAGES Tencent is constructing its largest data centre to date in the mountains of Anshun in China's Guizhou province.

You will be quite wealthy now; do you see yourself staying involved in Grinding Gear Games for long or are there other things you want to do?

All of our founders are keeping their current roles and continuing to run the company. There won't be any changes to the way we operate as a result of the deal.

There has been some debate about games companies not getting the same level of government support – grants and so on – as the film industry. Does Grinding Gear Games' success indicate the local industry can succeed without such help?

A few years ago we got a grant of $9000 from New Zealand Trade & Enterprise as promotional help with our launch in Taiwan. Other than that, we haven't received any money from the Government.

If the film industry is getting grants, then I think it's only fair that the games industry is included. If they're keeping the film grants then something similar to that would be very useful.

Having said that, I'm totally prepared to run a business that has to succeed or fail on its own profitability without outside help. It helps ensure commercially-viable products.

How many staff does Grinding Gear Games employ now? What do you look for in people you take on?

We're at 114 staff currently and hoping to expand to approximately 130 over the next year. We're looking for smart, motivated, self-driven people who are very familiar with the type of game that we make and the design that makes it special.

Do you think games companies are like other businesses, or is there something that makes them different or more fun?

At the end of the day, they are businesses like any other, but there's certainly the opportunity for a lot of fun in the process. You get to hang out with a bunch of really smart people and make games.

