Netease Buy Gaming Studios: As the Chinese IT behemoth continues its aggressive worldwide push, NetEase said on Friday that it had bought Canadian gaming studio SkyBox Labs, which is co-developing popular games including Halo Infinite.
NetEase is the second largest gaming corporation in China, and SkyBox Labs will function freely under its umbrella. The financial details of the arrangement were not shared by the two companies.
As the local market in China has slowed due to stricter regulation, NetEase has increased its efforts to expand internationally in the gaming industry during the last two years.
NetEase is making a strong international drive to catch up to rival Tencent, which has been more active in the past in purchasing gaming firms.
It established its first wholly-owned studio in Europe with the purchase of French game developer Quantic Dream last year. Besides China, NetEase has gaming studios in Japan and the United States.
It has mostly invested in and acquired businesses with established franchises and brands. The Canadian company SkyBox Labs is a good match; it has collaborated with notable names in the gaming industry including Xbox Game Studios and Electronic Arts.
SkyBox Labs is presently collaborating on projects with Minecraft and the Halo Infinite development team. Mobile games based on the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings brands have been released by NetEase.
The company has stated that it will provide “resources and execution capabilities so that SkyBox Labs can reach faster scale while preserving the quality of work the studio is recognized for.”
Historically, NetEase has concentrated on mobile and PC gaming, but the business now aspires to be a major player in console gaming as well, an area where SkyBox Labs excels.
SkyBox Labs, according to a statement from NetEase, “will continue to operate autonomously, working closely with existing and new partners to seek creative opportunities and co-develop products in the PC and console arena.”
NetEase Games acquires SkyBox Labs
SkyBox Labs, led by co-founders Shyang Kong, Derek MacNeil, and Steven Silvester, will remain an autonomous unit within NetEase Games, working with both current and future co-development partners.
The Canadian developer has worked on projects with Xbox Game Studios, Wizards of the Coast, and Electronic Arts before, producing games like Halo and Age of Empires. Also included were the first-ever versions of Stela and TASTEE: Lethal Tactics.
Halo Infinite Co-Developer SkyBox Labs Acquired By Chinese Tech Company NetEase Games – https://t.co/3FUYft0BUS#Videogames #Gaming #GamingNews #GamingCommunity #PCGames #PCGaming #Gamers #Gamer pic.twitter.com/wobGEe4ScF
— Sean D Knight (@SeanDKnight) January 9, 2023
In a news statement, SkyBox Labs co-founder Shyang Kong remarked, “Over the previous decade, we’ve had the pleasure to work on beloved titles like Halo Infinite, Minecraft, and Fallout 76.”
We are dedicated to expanding our operations in Canada, continuing to back our current and future partners, and continuing to co-develop AAA games with the industry’s top developers.
By joining NetEase Games, we will not only be able to accelerate our plans to pursue new creative opportunities, but also gain access to world-class operating resources and the full breadth and depth of NetEase’s services, allowing us to scale faster in Canada.
We have assembled a talented team of individuals who are passionate and creative. For his part, Simon Zhu, president of global investment and partnerships at NetEase Games, said, “We are happy to welcome SkyBox Labs to the NetEase Games family and are committed to fostering an environment that allows them to develop and operate autonomously as a game company.
NetEase Games acquires SkyBox Labs https://t.co/MWGsdyDpeN pic.twitter.com/R6hK85Q2xh
— Gematsu (@gematsu) January 6, 2023
We are huge fans of their previous work on some of the most popular brands in the world, and we were quite impressed by their years of experience in the game industry.
SkyBox Labs is dedicated to empowering the world’s best artists to deliver unique gaming experiences for players, and we’re excited to partner with them and give them the tools they need to expand their operations in Canada.
So that SkyBox Labs can scale up more quickly without sacrificing quality, NetEase Games will provide the company with resources and execution capabilities.
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