NetEase Games Acquires Minority Stake in Quantic Dream

NetEase Games, the online games division of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES), one of China's largest internet companies, today announced that it has acquired a minority stake in Quantic Dream S.A. to further the development and distribution of global online games.

Quantic Dream will continue to operate independently under the direction of industry veterans David Cage and Guillaume de Fondaumière. Quantic Dream defines and leads the interactive storytelling game, a creative game genre. With 22 years of experience, this AAA studio has successfully launched several worldwide blockbusters, including Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human™. This strategic investment aims to support the studio’s vision of becoming a global, multi-franchise entertainment company, and to develop advanced technologies and games for the future.

“With a strong focus on in-house development, we are constantly looking for partners that complement us in the development and creation of the next generation of games,” said Ethan Wang, VP of NetEase, Inc. “Quantic Dream’s excellence in interactive storytelling and the valuable expertise it has built over the past two decades is exactly what we have been looking for. We are pleased to partner with Quantic Dream and we hope to create incredible game experiences for players all around the globe.”

“The landscape of the gaming industry will go through major evolutions in the coming years, with new hardware to come, new business models to explore and new ways of playing to invent,” said Quantic Dream CEO and Creative Director David Cage. “We want Quantic Dream to take a key role in this exciting future and having NetEase by our side as a strategic partner will allow us to expand our creative vision and develop the company to its fullest potential. NetEase understands what Quantic is about as they share our passion for high quality games and our ambitions for the studio.”

"We have been impressed by NetEase’s vision, their commitment to quality and innovation, and their impressive track record and know how in crafting and operating some of the most popular games on the planet,” continued Guillaume de Fondaumière, Co-CEO of Quantic Dream. “Partnering with NetEase will open new opportunities for our studio and strengthen our position as pioneers and innovators.”

About NetEase Games

NetEase Games is the online games division of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES), developing and operating some of China’s most popular PC-client and mobile games. As one of the world’s largest incubators of quality online game content, NetEase Games is dedicated to supporting the growth of innovative studios around the globe and growing an international presence along the way. To complement its self-developed games and world-class R&D capabilities, NetEase Games also partners with other industry leaders including Blizzard Entertainment, Mojang AB (a Microsoft subsidiary) and other global game developers to operate some of the most popular international online games in China.

About Quantic Dream

Quantic Dream is a French video game studio that leads the world in interactive storytelling. Founded 22 years ago by David Cage to create AAA games based on emotion and interactive storytelling, Quantic Dream has been at the forefront of innovation in narrative, popularizing the genre of choice-dependent stories. The studio, that worked exclusively with Sony during the past 12 years, created thought-provoking games like Fahrenheit™ (aka Indigo Prophecy in North America), Heavy Rain™, Beyond: Two Souls™, and more recently Detroit: Become Human™. The studio’s medium-defining titles have showcased world-class talents including David Bowie, Ellen Page, Willem Dafoe, Hans Zimmer and Jesse Williams. Quantic Dream has developed proprietary technologies and original franchises since its creation, with the support of millions of gamers around the world.

For more information, please visit: http://www.quanticdream.com.

NetEase Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. The accuracy of these statements may be impacted by a number of business risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated, including the risk that the market for PC-client and mobiles games in China and other countries in which NetEase Games operate may not grow as rapidly as expected or at all, the risk that NetEase Games’ investments and partnerships will not generate adequate returns, the impact of governmental regulation, competition in the online game market, and other risks outlined in NetEase, Inc.'s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. NetEase, Inc. does not undertake any obligation to update this forward-looking information, except as required under applicable law.

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Contact information

NetEase Contact:
Margaret Shi
NetEase, Inc.
ir@service.netease.com
Tel: (+86) 571-8985-3378

Quantic Dream Contact:
Alexa Bowers
B/HI
alexa_bowers@bhimpact.com
Tel: +1 (310) 694-3112