Quantic Dream joins NetEase Games and will
continue to bring high-quality AAA video game experiences to
players worldwide.
HANGZHOU, China, Aug. 31,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NetEase, Inc.
(NASDAQ: NTES, HKEX: 9999), one of China's leading internet and online game
services providers, today announced that its games division,
NetEase Games, has acquired Quantic Dream S.A., one of the premier
independent video game developers in the world. Quantic Dream, led
by David Cage and Guillaume de
Fondaumière, will become NetEase Games' first studio in
Europe, representing an important
step in fulfilling NetEase's vision to support innovation and game
development around the globe. Quantic Dream will continue to
operate independently, focusing on creating and publishing its
video games on all platforms, as well as supporting and publishing
third-party developed titles, while at the same time leveraging
NetEase's significant game development capabilities.
Quantic Dream is a multi-award-winning studio that was
established 25 years ago in Paris,
France. It is the creator of iconic games such as Heavy Rain™, Beyond: Two
Souls™ and Detroit: Become Human™. The
studio announced at The Game Awards 2021 that it is working in
collaboration with Lucasfilm Games on the new action-adventure
game, Star Wars Eclipse™.
"We are thrilled to embark on an exciting new stage of growth
with Quantic Dream, bound by our shared vision, mutual trust and
respect," said William Ding, CEO and
Director of NetEase, Inc. "NetEase will continue to fulfil our
promise to support Quantic Dream to realise its full potential. By
combining the wild creativity and exceptional narrative focus of
Quantic Dream with NetEase's powerful facilities, resources and
execution capabilities, we believe there are infinite possibilities
that could re-define the interactive entertainment experience we
provide for players worldwide."
"Today marks an important milestone for our studio after a
quarter century of complete independence," said Quantic Dream's
founder, CEO and writer-director David
Cage. "NetEase Games values our creative freedom and the
drive and passion of our uniquely diverse team. We will now be able
to accelerate the vision we share as a group, of creating landmark
titles that touch people on an emotional level. We have highly
differentiated games in the making and I truly believe that the
best is yet to come from Quantic Dream. I am particularly proud
that our employees, who were offered a significant share of our
capital over the past years, will fully benefit from this
acquisition. It is a testimony to our continued commitment to
reward all those who have made Quantic Dream the successful studio
it is today."
"NetEase Games first invested in Quantic Dream three years ago,"
said Guillaume de Fondaumière, Co-CEO and Head of Publishing for
Quantic Dream. "Over this period, we had the opportunity to work
closely together and saw first-hand how like-minded and
complementary we are. NetEase Games' acquisition comes as a natural
evolution in this process and creates a unique opportunity to boost
Quantic Dream's growth by giving our production and publishing
teams all the necessary means to excel."
Quantic Dream is a market leader in creating games with a strong
narrative focus and nonlinear stories that reward players' choices.
The studio, which develops its own proprietary technologies, is
also known for its pioneering use of motion capture to bring
actors' performances to life in ways never seen before in video
games. NetEase originally acquired a minority stake in Quantic
Dream S.A. in 2019.
About NetEase, Inc.
As a leading internet technology company based in China, NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES and
HKEX:9999, "NetEase") provides premium online services centered
around content creation. With extensive offerings across its
expanding gaming ecosystem, the Company develops and operates some
of China's most popular and
longest running mobile and PC games. Powered by industry-leading
in-house R&D capabilities in China and globally, NetEase creates superior
gaming experiences, inspires players, and passionately delivers
value for its thriving community worldwide. By infusing play with
culture and education with technology, NetEase transforms gaming
into a meaningful vehicle to build a more entertaining and
enlightened world.
Beyond games, NetEase service offerings include its
majority-controlled subsidiaries Youdao (NYSE: DAO),
China's leading technology-focused
intelligent learning company, and Cloud Music (HKEX: 9899),
China's leading online music
content community, as well as Yanxuan, NetEase's private
label consumer lifestyle brand.
NetEase's ESG initiatives are among the best in the global media
and entertainment industry, earning it a distinction as one of the
S&P Global Industry Movers and an "A" rating from MSCI. For
more information, please visit: http://ir.netease.com/.
About NetEase Games
NetEase Games is the online games division of NetEase, Inc.
(NASDAQ: NTES and HKEX: 9999), developing and operating some of the
most popular mobile and PC games in markets including China and Japan. As one of the world's largest
incubators of quality online game content, NetEase Games is
dedicated to supporting the growth of innovative studios around the
globe and growing an international presence along the way. To
complement its self-developed games and world-class R&D
capabilities, NetEase Games also partners with other industry
leaders including Blizzard Entertainment, Mojang AB (a Microsoft
subsidiary) and other global game developers to operate some of the
most popular international online games in China. For more information, please visit
neteasegames.com.
ABOUT QUANTIC DREAM
Quantic Dream is a Paris and
Montreal-based video game studio
created in 1997 by David Cage. The
unique narrative experiences offered by Heavy Rain™, Beyond: Two
Souls™, Detroit: Become Human™,
have reached millions of players around the world and won more than
250 international awards. Quantic Dream is currently working on
three new in-house projects, including Star Wars Eclipse™,
developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games.
As an independent publisher since 2019, Quantic Dream also
supports original creators with unique visions, which are brought
to life with the help of Quantic Dream's expertise, means of
production, funding, and access to the international market and
players.
Quantic Dream unveiled Star Wars Eclipse™ in
collaboration with Lucasfilm Games during The Game Awards™ 2021, a
new action-adventure, multiple-character branching narrative AAA
game set in the High Republic era of the iconic Star Wars™
galaxy, now early in development.
Heavy Rain™, Beyond: Two Souls™ and Detroit: Become Human™ ©Sony Interactive
Entertainment Europe. Developed by Quantic Dream. Heavy Rain™ is a
trademark of Quantic Dream. Beyond: Two Souls™ and Detroit: Become Human™ are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe and
are used under license. Quantic Dream and the Quantic Dream logo
are trademarks of Quantic Dream. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, STAR WARS and related properties
are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other
countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & ™ 2021
Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These
statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S.
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as
"will," "expects," "aim," "anticipates," "future," "intends,"
"plans," "believes," "may," "estimates," "potential," "continue,"
"ongoing," "goal," "targets," "guidance," "commits" and similar
statements. Among other things, statements that are not historical
facts, including statements about business plans and projections
and statements about the launch of new games and their popularity
among players in different markets, are or contain forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and
uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking
statement. All information contained in this announcement is as of
the date of this announcement and are based on assumptions believed
to be reasonable as of this date. You should not rely upon these
forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The
parties do not undertake any obligation to update any
forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable
law.
Contacts
Investor Enquiries:
Margaret Shi
NetEase, Inc.
ir@service.netease.com
Tel: (+86) 571-8985-3378
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NetEase_Global
Media Enquiries:
NetEase, Inc.
Li Ruohan
Tel: (+86) 571-8985-2668
globalpr@service.netease.com
NetEase Games
Zhou Zhaoxi
Tel:(+86) 20-85105163 ext.57169
neteasegamespr@global.netease.com
Quantic Dream
Iris Gicquel, Communications
Director
igicquel@quanticdream.com
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SOURCE NetEase, Inc.