Singaporean internet services and gaming unicorn Garena is considering a 2018 flotation that would provide an exit for Tencent.

Garena, a Singapore-based mobile and internet services provider backed by internet group Tencent, plans to raise up to $1bn in a 2018 initial public offering, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.

The IPO is set to take place in the US, according to people familiar with the matter, who told the WSJ that Garena invited representatives of various banks to Singapore this week to discuss the prospective offering.

Founded in 2009, Garena initially operated as a mobile game platform before…