NetEase Games Acquires Minority Stake in Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream
NetEase Games, the online games division of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES), one of China's largest internet companies, today announced that it has acquired a minority stake in Quantic Dream S.A. to further the development and distribution of global online games.
Quantic Dream will continue to operate independently under the direction of industry veterans David Cage and Guillaume de Fondaumière. Quantic Dream defines and leads the interactive storytelling game, a creative game genre. With 22 years of experience, this AAA studio has successfully launched several worldwide blockbusters, including Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become HumanTM. This strategic investment aims to support the studio's vision of becoming a global, multi-franchise entertainment company, and to develop advanced technologies and games for the future.
"With a strong focus on in-house development, we are constantly looking for partners that complement us in the development and creation of the next generation games," said Ethan Wang, VP of NetEase, Inc., "Quantic Dream's excellence in interactive storytelling and the valuable expertise it has built over the past two decades is exactly what we have been looking for. We are pleased to partner with Quantic Dream and we hope to create incredible game experiences for players all around the globe."
"The landscape of the gaming industry will go through major evolutions in the coming years, with new hardware to come, new business models to explore and new ways of playing to invent," said Quantic Dream CEO and Creative Director David Cage. "We want Quantic Dream to take a key role in this exciting future and having NetEase by our side as a strategic partner will allow us to expand our creative vision and develop the company to its fullest potential. NetEase understands what Quantic is about as they share our passion for high quality games and our ambitions for the studio."
"We have been impressed by NetEase's vision, their commitment to quality and innovation and their impressive track-record and know-how in crafting and operating some of the most popular games on the planet," continued Guillaume de FONDAUMIERE, Co-CEO of Quantic Dream. "Partnering with NetEase will open new opportunities for our studio and strengthen our position as pioneers and innovators."
Info via Press Release
