GUANGZHOU, China, June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES), one of China’s leading internet and online game services providers, and Bungie, Inc., an independent employee-owned studio, today announced that NetEase has acquired a minority stake in Bungie to support the incubation of new creative gameplay and accelerate Bungie’s vision of becoming a global, multi-franchise entertainment company. Bungie will continue to operate independently with its employee-owned corporate structure.

“We have been big fans of the worlds Bungie has created, and are drawn to Bungie’s passion and creativity in online games development,” said NetEase CEO and Director, William Ding. “Bungie and NetEase share the same vision and ambition to deliver incredible experiences to millions of players all around the globe. We are excited to partner with Bungie as they transform from a single franchise development team into a global, multi-franchise entertainment studio.”

NetEase is one of the world’s largest incubators of quality content, dedicated to helping the growth of innovative studios around the globe, and it has grown its international presence along the way. In China, NetEase has captured the largest portion of the country’s premium gamer segment. With this partnership, NetEase will help fuel the creativity of the Bungie team as they explore new directions, create new worlds and bring their newest ambitions to life.

“This new partnership will enable us to accelerate our global vision, while building new teams dedicated to delivering brand-new experiences,” said Bungie CEO, Pete Parsons. “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.”

Through its existing partnership with Activision, Bungie will continue to develop and expand the Destiny franchise and support its passionate community. In addition, under the stewardship of Chief Creative Officer and Bungie Founder Jason Jones, Bungie will begin the creation of new worlds.

Bungie has created two multi-billion-dollar franchises (Halo and Destiny) and introduced numerous innovations to the gaming industry over the course of its 27-year history. Bungie believes gaming has the unique potential to not only entertain individuals, but to bring together players from all over the world to form lasting friendships and lifelong memories.

About NetEase

NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES) is a leading internet technology company in China. Dedicated to providing online services centered around content, community, communication and commerce, NetEase develops and operates some of China’s most popular PC-client and mobile games, advertising services, e-mail services and e-commerce platforms. In partnership with Blizzard Entertainment, Mojang AB (the Microsoft subsidiary that created Minecraft) and other global game developers, NetEase also operates some of the most popular international online games in China. For more information, please visit: http://ir.netease.com.

About Bungie

Bungie is an independent, employee-owned game development studio dedicated to creating hopeful worlds that inspire passionate player communities and lifelong friendships. For more than two-and-a-half decades that purpose has led to the creation of some of the industry’s most celebrated gaming franchises, including Marathon, Myth, Halo, and Destiny. Today, Bungie is focused on developing the next highly-anticipated release in the Destiny universe and new worlds to come.

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SOURCE NetEase, Inc.