NetEase, the Chinese online tech company, is investing in yet another western developer. This time around, NetEase is partnering with Quantic Dream (QD), developers of interactive experiences including Detroit: Become Human and Heavy Rain, acquiring a minority stake in the French studio. According to statements provided by QD, the investment will enable the studio to focus work on the next generation of consoles, as the company aims to drop PlayStation exclusivity in favor of a broader audience.
Quantic Dream co-CEO David Cage talked openly about his studio's growing ambition. He also discussed how NetEase's investment empowers them:
"This investment will allow us to invest in future technologies and games in order to prepare for the next generation of platforms, with the same ambition regarding creativity and innovation.
"Our goal is to develop our studio as a global, multi-franchise company, while remaining an independent studio. We want to keep developing original games in the genre we pioneered, but also expand our audience by being present on all platforms."
The total amount of the investment has gone unreported. However, some have drawn up comparisons to the recent NetEase partnership with Bungie totaling $100 million.
Quantic Dream's most recent three games, Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human, were made in partnership with Sony and published exclusively on PlayStation platforms. It seems that this partnership was very casual, as QD is able to move on from the partnership independently without obligation.
As previously mentioned, the Quantic Dream investment is just the latest in NetEase's ever-growing expansion westward. In 2014, NetEase built its Western Headquarters, followed by the 2015 announcement of a major funding initiative for independent developers. Since then, NetEase has in invested in both Bungie and now Quantic Dream. It also formed an agreement with Marvel Comics to create a Chinese comic book hero, and it has licensed major properties including Minecraft, and virtually all of Blizzard's major recent releases for publishing in the Chinese market.
Speaking of the Chinese market, it does seem to be a new focus for Quantic Dream following NetEase's investment. Co-CEO Guillaume de Fondaumière elaborated:
"China is the world’s largest market and it seems that every day the gaming world becomes more uniformed. For instance, we have been very impressed by Detroit’s fanbase in China and how popular the game is in this country. Last week, we won the 'Top Rated Game' award on Bilibili’s annual game review, which was truly a surprise for us. We see a great potential for us in China and will work with NetEase closely to find the right way to address this important market in the future."
It's clear that both Quantic Dream and NetEase have aligned interests in this regard and that the investment becomes much less of a surprise in this light. Perhaps it will grow even clearer once Quantic Dream's next game is unveiled.
Source: GamesBeat