Alibaba, Lingxi Games'i Trustar Capital'e 1,5 milyar $ karşılığında sattı

Alibaba sells Lingxi Games to Trustar Capital for $1.5 billion

Mon, August 17, 2026 at 2:26 PM GMT+3 2 min read

• BABA +1.35%

Alibaba Group has reached a formal agreement to sell its gaming unit, Lingxi Games, to Asian private-equity firm Trustar Capital in a deal worth at least $1.5 billion, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters and The Wall Street Journal. Reuters, citing a person familiar with the matter, said Alibaba is expected to receive more than $2 billion from the transaction.

Under the agreement, Alibaba will transfer its entire stake in Lingxi to Trustar, the memo said. The memo did not disclose the deal's value or an expected closing date, nor did it detail any regulatory approvals or other conditions attached to the transaction.

Lingxi Games Chief Executive Officer Zhou Bingshu, who sent the memo to Lingxi staff on Monday, said the deal is "part of Alibaba's overall road map to sharpen its strategic focus," according to The Wall Street Journal. Zhou and Lingxi's management team will continue to lead the company following the ownership change.

The sale is part of a broader effort by Alibaba to shed non-core businesses as it increases investment in AI and cloud computing. The company sold its stakes in hypermarket chain Sun Art and department-store operator Intime for a combined $2.6 billion in late 2024.

Alibaba had been seeking a buyer for Lingxi for some time, according to Reuters, citing two unnamed sources. A fundraising process the studio explored in late 2023 stalled after China proposed tighter rules for the online gaming sector.

Guangzhou-based Lingxi Games is best known for "Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition," a multiplayer strategy title developed in collaboration with Japan's Koei Tecmo Holdings. Trustar Capital, formerly known as CITIC Capital, is an Asia-focused private-equity firm. It was not immediately clear whether Alibaba would retain any commercial ties with Lingxi after the sale, including cloud services or technology partnerships.

The divestiture comes as Alibaba's cloud and AI businesses have become its standout performers. Alibaba's Cloud Intelligence Group posted revenue of 41.63 billion yuan in its most recent quarter, up 38% year-over-year, with AI-related product revenue extending a streak of triple-digit year-over-year growth to 11 consecutive quarters. The company has committed to reaching $100 billion in combined annual revenue from cloud and AI within five years.