NetEase (NASDAQ:NTES) announced to have acquired a minority stake in Bungie, the independent game developer known for two multi-billion dollar franchises (Halo and Destiny), through a strategic investment of over $100 million.
Bungie will continue to operate independently through its employee-owned structure. With this investment, the studio will be able to build new internal teams to work on new self-published titles.
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NetEase CEO and Director, William Ding, said:
We have been big fans of the worlds Bungie has created, and are drawn to Bungie’s passion and creativity in online games development. 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.
Bungie CEO Pete Parsons added:
This new partnership will enable us to accelerate our global vision while building new teams dedicated to delivering brand-new experiences. 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.
Bungie also published a blog post on their official website addressing potential concerns Destiny fans may have due to this newly announced deal. Needless to say, the partnership with Activision on Destiny will continue unaffected.
At Bungie, our purpose is to build worlds that inspire friendship. For over twenty-five years, through Marathon, Myth, Oni, Halo, and Destiny, we’ve created fantastic places where players have gathered to become heroes. Now, our long-term goal is to become an entertainment company that sustains many worlds simultaneously – Destiny and new worlds to come.
Today, we’re excited to announce that we’ve entered into a new partnership with NetEase to help us explore new directions. With their industry expertise, they’ll empower us to build new worlds and invite players, new and old, to join us there. They’ll help us support separate teams inside Bungie to bring our newest ambitions to life.
If you’re a player of Destiny, this news won’t impact the hobby you’ve come to know. Destiny is an experience that will grow for many years to come. We’ll continue to work with our partners at Activision to foster this global community and turn new players from all over the world into Guardians. Our commitment to that world is not diminished by this announcement. We have exciting plans for the future of the Destiny franchise, and you’ll learn more about the next steps we’ll take together in the weeks to come.
For now, we’re grateful for the opportunity to welcome NetEase to the family. We have a bold vision to explore with them, but that is all a conversation for another time.
What do you think of Bungie branching out? Let us know below.
