NetEase invests $100 million into Bungie for new project

Destiny unaffected

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Chinese publisher NetEase has invested $100 million into Bungie for the creation of a new game. The news comes from multiple sources that are each describing the partnership as a chance for Bungie to explore new directions. According to the Wall Street Journal, Bungie is making this move as a stepping stone to becoming a self-publishing studio.

An official blog post on Bungie’s website reads, “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.” As for how this will affect Destiny, Bungie continued, “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.”

Bungie CEO Pete Parsons told GamesIndustry.biz, “Really what this partnership is about is bringing the expertise NetEase has, sharing ideas and allowing us to incubate new ideas. There’s no explicit deal [to publish our games in China]. It’s more that they share our passion for games, our passion for building worlds that inspire friendships and building communities, and that’s the entire focus of it.”

Simon Zhu, NetEase’s GM for Strategic Investment, stated, “Many of us have been fans of Bungie since its early days and have admired the company’s resolve and passion for creating big, innovative games. As game developers ourselves, NetEase shares many of the same values as the people at Bungie; we both care about quality, innovation, connecting players, and becoming more global in our businesses.”

While no one is being 100% clear on what this deal will entail, it seems like Bungie is making strides towards creating a new game or IP. NetEase was explicit in stating that the partnership will not be an attempt to bring Bungie’s titles to the Asian market. “NetEase…would be honored to include Bungie’s games as part of that effort,” Zhu claimed, before lamenting that, “As far as Destiny 2 is concerned…that decision is ultimately Bungie and Activision-Blizzard’s.”