Jump to content

NetEase

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

NetEase, Inc.
Company typePublic
Nasdaq: NTES
SEHK: 9999
IndustryInternet
FoundedJune 1997; 27 years ago (1997-06)
FounderDing Lei
HeadquartersHangzhou, Zhejiang, China[1]
Key people
Ding Lei (CEO)
ProductsOnline services
RevenueIncrease CN¥ 59.24 billion (2019)[2]
Increase CN¥ 13.79 billion (2019)[2]
Increase CN¥ 21.43 billion (2019)[2]
Total assetsIncrease CN¥ 112.12 billion (2019)[2]
Number of employees
18,129 (December 2017)[3]
DivisionsNetEase YanXuan
NetEase Cloud Music
NetEase Games (Thunder Fire)
NetEase Games (Interactive Entertainment)
NetEase D&R Center Lab
NetEase Wisdom Enterprise
Youdao
NetEase News
SubsidiariesSee § Development studios
Website163.com

NetEase, Inc. (simplified Chinese: 网易; traditional Chinese: 網易; pinyin: Wǎngyì) is a Chinese Internet technology company providing online services centered on content, community, communications, and commerce. The company was founded in 1997 by Ding Lei. It develops and operates online PC and mobile games, advertising services, email services, and e-commerce platforms in China. It is one of the largest Internet and video game companies in the world.[4] NetEase has an on-demand music-streaming service (NetEase Cloud Music). The video games include, Fantasy Westward Journey, Tianxia III, Heroes of Tang Dynasty Zero and Ghost II.[5] NetEase has partnered with Blizzard Entertainment to operate Chinese versions of their games, such as World of Warcraft, StarCraft II and Overwatch from 2008 to 2023.[6][7][8] In August 2023, NetEase launched an American studio led by Bethesda and BioWare veterans.[9]

History

[edit]

The company was founded in June 1997 by Chinese entrepreneur Ding Lei, and grew rapidly due in part to the investment in search engine technology.[10] In 2012, the official name was changed from NetEase.com, Inc to NetEase, Inc.[11]

The company's top executives quit amid possible advertisement revenue misreporting, and buy-out talks with i-Cable Communications and others were reported.[12][13]

In 2008, the 163.com domain attracted at least 1.8 million visitors annually according to the Compete.com survey.[14] In 2010, the site was the 28th most visited site in the world according to Alexa Internet rankings.[15] NetEase's official website address is 163.com. It was attributed to the past when Chinese internet users dial "163" online, before the availability of broadband internet.[16][17]

Tencent sued NetEase alleging copyright infringement in 2014.[18]: 102  Tencent used its leverage from the suit to convince NetEase to sublicense music rights from Tencent.[18]: 102  The sub-licensing arrangement that resulted became a model used by other online music platforms in China.[18]: 102 

NetEase is the largest provider of free e-mail services in China with over 940 million users since 2017. The company also ran 188.com and 126.com.[19]

The company operates a news website at news.163.com and an associated app.[20][21] Riot Games sued NetEase over alleged copyright violation concerning Valorant in 2022.[22][23]

Expansion and acquisitions

[edit]

NetEase launched the first western headquarters in August 2014, bringing one of the largest tech companies from China to the United States.[24] In January 2020, NetEase discussed secondary listings with the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing.[25]

NetEase invested US$100 million into Bungie for a minority stake in the company and a seat on the board of directors in June 2018.[26] NetEase invested Aurora 44 in New Zealand and sold the comic books to Bilibili in December 2018.[27][28] NetEase acquired Quantic Dream in August 2022 after the 2019 minority investment.[29]

In June 2020, NetEase established Ouka Studios (Sakura Studios) to develop next-generation console games.[30] The company has offices in Guangzhou, China and Shibuya, Tokyo.[31]

NetEase acquired Grasshopper Manufacture from GungHo Online Entertainment in October 2021, incorporating the developer within the division.[32]

In May 2022, NetEase opened Jackalope Games, founded by former Daybreak Game Company employee Jack Emmert.[33] The company is later changed to Jackalyptic Games on May 18, 2023, and has a partnership with Games Workshop.[34]

Toshihiro Nagoshi, Daisuke Sato, and several other former Sega employees established a new studio called Nagoshi Studio, which is part of their subsidiary.[35]

NetEase established Jar Of Sparks on July 18, 2022, founded by former 343 Industries employee Jerry Hook.[36] Polish VR studio Something Random announced that it had received an investment from NetEase.[37]

In August 2022, NetEase acquired Quantic Dream after the 2019 minority investment in the company. It became a subsidiary part of its parent company and had NetEase objective to have more console game releases.[38] Something Wicked Games founder Jeff Gardiner announced that NetEase had invested $13.2 million for the studio.[39]

In October 2022, NetEase established a development company GPTRACK50 Studio, focused on console releases and led by former Capcom producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi.[40]

In November 2022, NetEase announced that it had invested in Polish studio Rebel Wolves founded by Konrad Tomaszkiewicz,[41] and the Norwegian fitness startup PlayPulse.[42] NetEase acquired a minority stake for Liquid Swords in Stockholm.[43]

NetEase acquired the Canadian studio Skybox Labs in January 2023.[44]

In February 2023, NetEase opened the studio Spliced in Manchester,[45] and acquired the video game company Studio Flare which was established in Gotanda on September 6, 2022. It was founded by former Marvelous vice president Toshinori Aoki, and former Arc System Works employee and BlazBlue game creator Toshimichi Mori.[46]

In March 2023, NetEase launched the Anici anime brand to "support the anime industry", delivering a variety of animation together with various partners.[47]

In April 2023, NetEase opened Anchor Point Studios in Barcelona.[48]

In May 2023, NetEase established Bad Brain Game Studios in Toronto and Montreal, Canada. It was founded by Watch Dogs and Driver: San Francisco game producer Sean Crooks. He is joined by a team of veteran developers who have worked on Far Cry 2, Child of Light, Just Dance, Army of Two, Splinter Cell: Conviction and Splinter Cell: Blacklist.[49] NetEase established PinCool, a video game company in Tokyo, led by representative director and president, and Dragon Quest producer Ryutaro Ichimura.[50]

In August 2023, NetEase established T-Minus Zero Entertainment. It is working on the online multiplayer-focus sci-fi action game.[51]

In November 2023, NetEase established Fantastic Pixel Castle, founded by former Blizzard lead system designer Greg Street.[52] NetEase opened the studio Worlds Untold, founded by Mass Effect game writer Mac Walters with the first project being a near-future action adventure game.[53]

In February 2024, NetEase opened BulletFarm in Los Angeles, founded by Call of Duty veteran David Vonderhaar. The studio is working on a AAA co-op game with Unreal Engine 5.[54]

Partnerships

[edit]

The company has a history of partnerships with other companies. Blizzard Entertainment partnered with NetEase to bring some games for the Chinese market in 2008.[55] NetEase and Blizzard announced the suspension of most game services within Mainland China, due to the expiration of current licensing agreement in January 2023.[7] According to NetEast's statement on 17 November 2022, Overwatch 2, Diablo III, World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm, no longer received service in mainland China on 23 January 2023, and was not renewed.[8]

In April 2012, NetEase began testing a restaurant recommendation mobile app called "Fan Fan".[56][57] In 2017, NetEase made an agreement with the American company Marvel Comics to develop a comic based on a Chinese superhero. In addition, 12 comic copies by Marvel would be released online, such as The Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America and Guardians of the Galaxy.[28]

The company collaborated with coursera.org to provide Massive Open Online Course in China.[58] In 2014, NetEase launched an online course platform with educational content.[59]

In collaboration between NetEase, The Pokémon Company and Game Freak, an expanded version of Pokémon Quest called Pokémon Adventure was released in China on 13 May 2021, which receives regular updates and events unlike other versions.[60][61]

Chinese government regulation

[edit]

In October 2020, the Cyberspace Administration of China ordered NetEase to undergo rectification and temporarily suspend certain comment functions, after censors found inappropriate comments on the news app.[62]

Gamers trying the new release of Speedy Ninja at PAX 2015

Games

[edit]
Year Title Developer Publisher Notes
2001 Fantasy Westward Journey NetEase Games NetEase Games
2002 Westward Journey Online II NetEase Games
2015 Revelation Online NetEase Games
2017 Rules of Survival NetEase Games Discontinued on 27 June 2022
2018 Creative Destruction NetEase Games Discontinued on 27 June 2022
Galactic Frontline NetEase Games Online title, Closed in 2020[63]
Identity V NetEase Games
LifeAfter NetEase Games
2019 Cyber Hunter NetEase Games
Sky Thatgamecompany Published in China only
Marvel Super War NetEase Games
Super Mecha Champions NetEase Games
2020 Marvel Duel NetEase Games
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night ArtPlay Android and iOS ports
2021 Ace Racer NetEase Games
Naraka: Bladepoint 24 Entertainment
Astracraft NetEase Games Discontinued on 21 December 2022
The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War NetEase Games Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
2022 Diablo Immortal NetEase Games, Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment
Eggy Party NetEase Games NetEase Games
Hyper Front NetEase Games, BattleFun Games
Lost Light NetEase Games
2023 Dead by Daylight Mobile Behaviour Interactive, NetEase Games Behaviour Interactive, NetEase Published in China only
2024 Bloodstrike NetEase Games NetEase Games Available on iOS, iPadOS, Android and Windows
Once Human NetEase, Starry Studio NetEase Games, Starry Studio Available on Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows
Marvel Rivals NetEase Games NetEase Games
TBA Racing Master Dahua Studios, Codemasters
Tom and Jerry: Chase NetEase Games
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened NetEase, Envoy Games NetEase Games, Portkey Games, Envoy Games
Where Winds Meet Everstone Studio NetEase Games
Project: BloodStrike NetEase Games
Project: E.O.E
Project: EXTREME
Project Mugen NetEase Games, Naked Rain

Licensed online games

[edit]
  • Three-year agreement to license Blizzard's title Overwatch in PRC[64]
  • Agreement to license Mojang's Minecraft and the pocket edition in China[65]
    • Operated the Chinese third-party Minecraft Hypixel server, which was shut down on June 30, 2020[66]
  • Assumed the publishing of Eve Online in the Chinese market in October 2018[67]

Development studios

[edit]
Studio Location
NetEase Games Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hangzhou, China
Ouka Studios Tokyo, Japan and Guangzhou, China
Grasshopper Manufacture Tokyo, Japan
PinCool
Nagoshi Studio
NetEase Games Tokyo
GPTRACK50 Studio Osaka, Japan
Studio Flare Gotanda, Tokyo, Japan
Quantic Dream Paris, France
Jackalyptic Games Austin, Texas, United States
T-Minus Zero Entertainment
Jar of Sparks Seattle, Washington, United States
Anchor Point Studios Seattle, Washington, United States and Barcelona, Spain
NetEase Games North America Los Angeles, California, United States
BulletFarm
NetEase Games Montreal Montreal, Quebec, Canada
SkyBox Labs Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Bad Brain Game Studios Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Worlds Untold Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Spliced Manchester, United Kingdom
NetEase Games Korea Seongnam, South Korea
Fantastic Pixel Castle Remote studio

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "IR Contacts NetEase, Inc". ir.netease.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "NetEase Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2019 Unaudited Financial Results (PDF)". 26 February 2020. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Investor FAQs". Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Tencent leads the top 25 public game companies with $10.2 billion in revenues | GamesBeat". venturebeat.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  5. ^ "NetEase Q2 earnings beat expectations with online game services reversing downtrend - ChinaKnowledge". chinaknowledge.com. 9 August 2018. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  6. ^ Minotti, Mike (11 January 2019). "Blizzard and NetEase extend Chinese publishing deal for Hearthstone, Overwatch, and more". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase Suspending Game Services in China". 16 November 2022. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  8. ^ a b Liao, Rita (17 November 2022). "Blizzard ends 14-year licensing deal with NetEase in China". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  9. ^ Dealessandri, Marie (17 August 2023). "NetEase launches new US studio led by Bethesda and BioWare veterans". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Netease Search Engine - Youdao/yodao spider". Httpuseragent.org. 31 December 2008. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  11. ^ "NetEase English Name Changes" (in Chinese). Sina.com.cn. 29 March 2012. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  12. ^ Lu Stout, Kristie (12 June 2001). "Key Netease executives call it quits". CNN. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  13. ^ Ong, Carolyn (9 June 2001). "Another suitor linked with NetEase buyout". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 14 March 2021.
  14. ^ "163.com". Siteanalytics.compete.com. 26 October 2011. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  15. ^ "Alexa Top 500 Global Sites". Archived from the original on 7 December 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  16. ^ 李, 志强 (10 April 2018). "今日头条、凤凰新闻、网易新闻、天天快报4款APP被下架-新华网". Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on 14 April 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  17. ^ Beam, Christopher (1 May 2014). "The Secret Messages Inside Chinese URLs". newrepublic.com. The New Republic. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  18. ^ a b c Zhang, Angela Huyue (2024). High Wire: How China Regulates Big Tech and Governs Its Economy. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oso/9780197682258.001.0001. ISBN 9780197682258.
  19. ^ Wray, Chris (10 August 2017). "NetEase Q2 2017: Revenue Grows to $2 Billion, Games Generate $1.4bn". Wccftech. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018.
  20. ^ 张, 天磊 (10 December 2020). "网易传媒全新知识短视频内容消费品牌网易新闻"知识公路"正式发布". China Daily (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  21. ^ 黎, 小明 (9 April 2018). "七麦数据（原ASO100）-专业移动产品商业分析平台-ASO-ASM优化". Qimai (in Chinese). Qimai Technology Co. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  22. ^ "Riot Games Has Sued Chinese Game Company Netease for Copyright Infringement – Valorant 'Copy'". Victor Marquez. Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  23. ^ "Riot Games sues NetEase for alleged Valorant imitation". Tekato Longkumer. 11 December 2022. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  24. ^ "NetEase North America". www.netease-na.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  25. ^ "Hong "Kong Bourse Discusses New Listings With Ctrip, Netease". Bloomberg News.
  26. ^ "Bungie gets more than $100 million investment from NetEase". GamesIndustry.biz. 1 June 2018. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  27. ^ "Aurora44 Limited (4672299) Registered". New Zealand Companies Office. 17 December 2018. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  28. ^ a b Zen Soo; Zheping Huang (13 December 2018). "Chinese gaming giant NetEase sells comics business to rival Bilibili, retains rights to Marvel series". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  29. ^ McWhertor, Michael (29 January 2019). "Quantic Dream receives investment from NetEase to develop next-gen games". Polygon. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  30. ^ Kerr, Chris (5 June 2020), "Chinese game company NetEase has opened a new studio in Japan", Gamasutra, archived from the original on 5 August 2020, retrieved 6 July 2020
  31. ^ Romano, Sal (16 March 2022). "NetEase Games' Sakura Studio outlines three new titles in development for console". Gematsu. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  32. ^ Romano, Sal (21 October 2021). "NetEase Games acquires Grasshopper Manufacture". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  33. ^ "China's gaming giant NetEase opens first US studio in Austin". TechCrunch. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  34. ^ Romano, Sal (18 May 2023). "Jackalope Games rebrands to Jackalyptic Games, in early development on Warhammer game". Gematsu. Retrieved 22 October 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  35. ^ "Nagoshi Studio". Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  36. ^ Bailey, Kat (18 July 2022). "Xbox Pioneer Forms Jar Of Sparks, New Studio Dedicated To AAA Action-Adventure Games". IGN. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  37. ^ "NetEase Invests in Polish VR Studio Something Random". 80.lv. 6 July 2022. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  38. ^ "NetEase Games acquires Quantic Dream". 31 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2 September 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  39. ^ "Former Bethesda lead Jeff Gardiner debuts new studio Something Wicked". The Washington Post. 23 August 2022. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  40. ^ "NetEase Games establishes GPTRACK50 - Osaka-based studio led by former Capcom producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi". Gematsu. 31 October 2022. Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  41. ^ "Rebel Wolves acquires strategic investment from NetEase Games". Gematsu. 22 November 2022. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  42. ^ "PlayPulse receives investment from NetEase Games". Playpulse. 23 November 2022. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  43. ^ "Press Release: Liquid Swords Announces Investment From NetEase Games — Liquid Swords". Liquids Words. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  44. ^ "NetEase has acquired Skybox Labs". Eurogamer. 7 January 2023. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  45. ^ "NetEase Games introduces Spliced, a new game studio". NetEase. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  46. ^ Romano, Sal (27 February 2023). "Tokyo-based Studio Flare established with BlazBlue series' Toshimichi Mori as development producer". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  47. ^ Mateo, Alex (27 March 2023). "NetEase Games Launches Anici Anime Brand". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  48. ^ "NetEase opens Anchor Point Games in Barcelona and Seattle". VentureBeat. 26 April 2023. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  49. ^ "NetEase Games establishes Canada-based Bad Brain Game Studios". Gematsu. 23 May 2023. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  50. ^ "NetEase Games establishes Tokyo-based game studio PinCool led by Ryutaro Ichimura". Gematsu. 29 May 2023. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  51. ^ "NetEase Games establishes Austin-based T-Minus Zero Entertainment to develop online multiplayer-focus sci-fi action game". Gematsu. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  52. ^ "NetEase Games establishes new studio Fantastic Pixel Castle to develop AAA MMO". Gematsu. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  53. ^ "NetEase Games establishes new studio Worlds Untold led by Mass Effect series writer Mac Walters". Gematsu. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  54. ^ Batchelor, James (28 February 2024). "NetEase opens new AAA studio BulletFarm led by Treyarch vet David Vonderhaar". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  55. ^ Futter, Mike (11 January 2019). "Blizzard and NetEase extend Chinese publishing partnership for World of Warcraft, Diablo, more". GameDaily. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  56. ^ "Follow news on Netease.com, Inc" (Press release). BrightWire. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  57. ^ "Netease Begins Testing for Mobile App "Fan Fan" on Thursday". BrightWire. Archived from the original on 27 July 2012.
  58. ^ "Coursera partners with NetEase to deliver free online learning in China". Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  59. ^ Xiang, Tracey (24 April 2014). "NetEase Adds an Online Course Platform to Its Education Offerings". TechNode. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  60. ^ "China's NetEase to launch first official Pokemon game in China". Reuters. 20 May 2019. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  61. ^ Grogan, Bryan (14 May 2021). "Huge Light Show Accompanies the Launch of Pokemon's Newest Game in China". RADII. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  62. ^ "China's internet censorship goes far beyond the Great Firewall". South China Morning Post. 16 October 2020. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  63. ^ "Galactic Frontline's Android store page". Google Play. 31 May 2019. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  64. ^ "NetEase - Fact Sheet". ir.netease.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  65. ^ "Minecraft is coming to China". mojang.com. 10 November 2021. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  66. ^ "Hypixel is coming to China". Hypixel - Minecraft Server and Maps. 21 May 2017. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  67. ^ "The Next Step For EVE China & Serenity – Announcing Partnership With NetEase!". EVE Online. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to NetEase.
  • Official website Edit this at Wikidata
  • Business data for NetEase:
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NetEase&oldid=1252646937"