Developer Bungie has recently entered a partnership with Chinese online gaming company NetEase. NetEase has provided a substantial investment with Bungie which will open up many of their titles to China. This development will not only give the country access to these games, but it will also “accelerate Bungie’s vision of becoming a global, multi-franchise entertainment company,” according to NetEase.
Steve Parsons, Bungie CEO, made a statement on the newly formed partnership:
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 made an official statement in regards to the partnership on it’s website:
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.
NetEase’s investment was reportedly over $100 million, so they have high hopes on to what this new joint effort may bring. This investment also gave them a minority stake with the developer. As outlined by the studio’s statement, for anyone that has any concerns, Activision noted that this deal will not impact Bungie’s partnership with them nor the future of the Destiny franchise. Bungie will continue to work on the game as part of their pre-existing partnership with the publisher and will soon “begin the creation of new worlds.”