NetEase has been one of the biggest actors of recent years in the technology and digital game market, where China has invested heavily for many years. The company was especially known for its partnership with Activision Blizzard so that productions such as World of Warcraft and Diablo can also be played in China.
The company, which has increased its investments recently, has recently acquired the French game studio Quantic Dream, which is also the producer of Detroit: Become Human. NetEase had previously joined this studio’s shareholders.
Money is pouring into the game market
Although Tencent is the first name that comes to mind when “Chinese game company” is mentioned, NetEase is also expanding its portfolio day by day. The company, which also opened a game studio in the USA under the name of Jackalope Games this year, has fully incorporated Quantic Dream, of which it is a shareholder, in 2019.
Known for productions such as Omikron: the Nomad Soul, Detroit: Become Human, Heavy Rain, Quantic Dream has actually been looking for investment for a while. Although David Cage, the CEO of the company, had considered going public before, his final decision was to accept the offer of his Chinese partners. The reason for this decision was that the company wanted to be independent in an editorial sense.
Cage attributes the timing of the deal to the buying spree in the gaming industry recently. According to the CEO, in this period when game studios are being sold one after the other, companies located in the center make more accurate valuations. In other words, according to Cage, thanks to this sale, the company will have received its share of the millions of dollars that large companies have thrown into the air recently, but the price of understanding has not been disclosed. The firm will also continue to work on Star Wars Eclipse and Under the Waves.
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