GUANGZHOU, China, June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NetEase, Inc.
(NASDAQ: NTES), one of China's
leading internet and online game services providers, and Bungie,
Inc., an independent employee-owned studio, today announced that
NetEase has acquired a minority stake in Bungie to support the
incubation of new creative gameplay and accelerate Bungie's vision
of becoming a global, multi-franchise entertainment company. Bungie
will continue to operate independently with its employee-owned
corporate structure.
"We have been big fans of the worlds Bungie has created, and are
drawn to Bungie's passion and creativity in online games
development," said NetEase CEO and Director, William Ding. "Bungie and NetEase share the same
vision and ambition to deliver incredible experiences to millions
of players all around the globe. We are excited to partner with
Bungie as they transform from a single franchise development team
into a global, multi-franchise entertainment studio."
NetEase is one of the world's largest incubators of quality
content, dedicated to helping the growth of innovative studios
around the globe, and it has grown its international presence along
the way. In China, NetEase has
captured the largest portion of the country's premium gamer
segment. With this partnership, NetEase will help fuel the
creativity of the Bungie team as they explore new directions,
create new worlds and bring their newest ambitions to life.
"This new partnership will enable us to accelerate our global
vision, while building new teams dedicated to delivering brand-new
experiences," said Bungie CEO, Pete
Parsons. "NetEase creates and operates some of the most
popular games on the planet. We're excited for them to bring their
experience as we enter this new chapter in Bungie's history. With
NetEase's industry expertise and international reach, our
partnership will help us realize our shared goal of reaching
players around the globe."
Through its existing partnership with Activision, Bungie will
continue to develop and expand the Destiny franchise and
support its passionate community. In addition, under the
stewardship of Chief Creative Officer and Bungie Founder
Jason Jones, Bungie will begin the
creation of new worlds.
Bungie has created two multi-billion-dollar franchises
(Halo and Destiny) and introduced numerous
innovations to the gaming industry over the course of its 27-year
history. Bungie believes gaming has the unique potential to not
only entertain individuals, but to bring together players from all
over the world to form lasting friendships and lifelong
memories.
About NetEase
NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES) is a leading internet technology
company in China. Dedicated to
providing online services centered around content, community,
communication and commerce, NetEase develops and operates some of
China's most popular PC-client and
mobile games, advertising services, e-mail services and e-commerce
platforms. In partnership with Blizzard Entertainment, Mojang AB
(the Microsoft subsidiary that created Minecraft) and other global
game developers, NetEase also operates some of the most popular
international online games in China. For more information, please visit:
http://ir.netease.com.
About Bungie
Bungie is an independent, employee-owned game development studio
dedicated to creating hopeful worlds that inspire passionate player
communities and lifelong friendships. For more than two-and-a-half
decades that purpose has led to the creation of some of the
industry's most celebrated gaming franchises, including
Marathon, Myth, Halo, and Destiny.
Today, Bungie is focused on developing the next highly-anticipated
release in the Destiny universe and new worlds to come.
Netease Contact
China
Contact:
|
US
Contact:
|
Margaret
Shi
|
Brandi
Piacente
|
Investor Relations
Director
|
Tel: (+1)
212-481-2050
|
Tel: (+86) 571 - 8985
3378
|
brandi@corp.netease.com
|
ir@service.netease.com
|
|
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SOURCE NetEase, Inc.