NetEase Games Conducts Its First Ever Developers Forum in the West

GUANGZHOU, China and SAN FRANCISCO, March 1, 2017 /CNW/ -- NetEase Games today held its first ever developers forum in the West, titled "Insight of Fun", in San Francisco. Living up to the company's motto of "good games have no borders", lead developers of NetEase's five flagship games shared development concepts and behind-the-scene stories with an audience of gamers, industry peers, and reporters. The successful event was a direct reflection of the popularity and traction that NetEase Games has in overseas markets.

The Insight of Fun forum focused on NetEase Games' core value – committed pursuit of the highest quality games and player experience. The company's mission is for gamers, developers and others who are involved in the gaming ecosystem to explore and enjoy the fun of games. Going forward, NetEase Games will host regular events in overseas markets to share development experience with industry peers and to explore the globalized future of gaming.

"Quality games have no borders. At NetEase, it is our sincere hope to create more high quality and innovative products for gamers around the world," said Ethan Wang, Vice President of NetEase, Inc.

Attendees also got a preview of NetEase Games' global product plan. "This Spring, we will be launching a deep and immersive 3D-action MMORPG," said Riten Huang, General Manager of NetEase Games. "Following that, we are excited to bring the popular game, Onmyoji, to audiences in the West. Later in 2017, we also plan to launch a strategy and exploration MMO game created by an international team of developers, including top industry talents from China, the United States, Germany and South Korea."

Robust financial and operational performance in China forms a solid foundation for NetEase's overseas expansion. In 2016, revenues of NetEase's online gaming segment reached $4 billion, up 61.6% year over year. NetEase Games continues to maintain high growth rate and deliver new hit games. After consolidating its market leadership in China, NetEase Games is looking to expand further overseas. When discussing the overseas strategy for NetEase Games, NetEase CEO Ding Lei mentioned that he has ambitious goals to achieve greater results in the non-Chinese gaming markets within the next three to five years.

To show their dedication toward overseas markets, NetEase sent its dream team of lead developers for five flagship games to the event. This group consisted of Chen Junxiong of the mobile version of the NetEase classic Fantasy Westward Journey, Jin Tao of 2016 blockbuster Onmyoji, Yu Kai of the company's first virtual reality game Twilight Pioneers, Liu Xi of the mobile game adaptation of Hollywood animation film Kung Fu Panda 3, and Wang Xi of the upcoming 3D warfare MMO War Rage.

These five developers represent NetEase Games' flagship titles and the highest quality of production that the company intends to bring to overseas markets. Early indications of global expansion have been very encouraging – Fantasy Westward Journey has over 100 million registered players worldwide; Twilight Pioneers was selected as among the first wave of releases on Google's virtual reality platform Daydream; Kung Fu Panda 3 was rated Google Play 2016 Top 10 Games in Korea; the Japanese version of Onmyoji was released last week and was number on the free download rankings. Unlike the others, however, War Rage was designed for overseas markets from the ground up.

By harnessing its industry leading game development capabilities and unique insight into fun, NetEase will propel its global expansion by introducing Chinese games to global markets, working with partners to publish titles in China, and create games developed from the ground up tailored to international audiences. Many exciting changes are ahead, but what remains is the company's commitment to creating the best games for players in China and around the world.

About NetEase

NetEase, Inc. 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 (a Microsoft subsidiary) 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/.

SOURCE NetEase Games

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