Video game company NetEase has acquired French gaming studio Quantic Dream, becoming the company’s first video game developer in Europe.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
“By combining the wild creativity and exceptional narrative focus of Quantic Dream with NetEase’s powerful facilities, resources, and execution capabilities, there are infinite possibilities that could redefine the interactive entertainment experience,” said NetEase CEO William Ding.
- Quantic Dream will continue to operate independently.
- The studio will develop and publish games for all platforms.
- It will also continue to publish third-party-developed gaming titles.
NetEase purchased a minority stake in Quantic Dream in 2019 — after the French studio faced allegations of operating a toxic workplace environment behind claims of sexual harassment and racism. In 2018, Quantic Dream lost a French labor court case filed by a former employee.
Since then, the company has taken actions to create a better workplace environment, including DEI initiatives and partnering with an unspecified LGBTQIA+ organization.
Better Than Expected
NetEase exceeded expectations in the company’s second-quarter earnings report.
The China-based company generated $3.5 billion in revenue in Q2 2022 — a 12.8% increase compared to Q1 2021 — surpassing Wall Street estimates of $3.4 billion for the quarter.
The favorable results were driven by NetEase’s games and related value-added services segment, which generated $2.7 billion in revenue in Q2, a 15% increase year-over-year.
About 10% of NetEase’s gaming revenue comes from overseas.
