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Polish gaming billionaire faces real estate scrutiny after deal with Chinese investors

28.03.2025 15:30
In a recent interview with the Polish edition of "Forbes" magazine, Paweł Marchewka, one of Poland’s richest entrepreneurs, discussed his multi-billion deal with Chinese tech giant Tencent, while also addressing his questionable real estate investments.
Techland Studios CEO, Polish billionaire Paweł Marchewka (pictured left), sold the majority of his gaming business to a Chinese company.
Techland Studios CEO, Polish billionaire Paweł Marchewka (pictured left), sold the majority of his gaming business to a Chinese company.Photo: Techland logo/EY Poland

Paweł Marchewka, ranked 7th on Forbes' list of the 100 richest Poles, sold two-thirds of his shares in Techland - a video game studio behind Dead Island, Dying Light, and Call of Juarez - in a deal valued at 8 billion PLN (1.92 billion EUR or 2.08 billion USD).

How did a Polish billionaire sell most of his gaming company to Chinese investors?

Chinese tech giant Tencent, the world’s leading gaming and social media company, acquired a majority of Techland in 2023, just a year and a half after the studio’s biggest hit, Dying Light.

In an interview with Forbes Poland, Paweł Marchewka and his wife, Aleksandra, shared insights into the landmark deal.

Techland's CEO questioned over real estate purchases

As noted by journalist Jacek Harłukowicz from the Polish news outlet Onet.pl, the head of popular video game company Techland shared in Forbes that he’s been buying properties in well-known areas of Polish cities like Poznań, Kalisz, and Wrocław.

However, Harłukowicz pointed out that Paweł Marchewka, in his version of events, didn’t mention that these properties used to belong to Bank Zachodni WBK, now owned by Spain’s Santander.

Additionally, Harłukowicz reported that the Polish billionaire had previously invested in land owned by Iwona Morawiecka, the wife of Poland’s former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, during the time when the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party was in power.

The controversial property transaction, which involved purchasing the land for a fraction of its value and later selling it for a much higher price, has raised legal concerns, with participants potentially facing up to 10 years in prison, as previously reported multiple times by Onet.pl.

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Source: Forbes Polska/X/@JHarlukowicz