Detroit: Become Human and Star Wars: Eclipse developer Quantic Dream has been acquired by Chinese tech giant, NetEase. According to Quantic Dream, the studio will continue to retain its artistic independence, with the support of NetEase aiding its push to evolve and grow larger.
Quantic Dream is currently working on a major Star Wars title, Eclipse, that will likely benefit from added support on the global stage.
‘To continue to evolve and dream big, as we embark on “our next 25 years”, we are delighted to announce that we will be joining NeEase Games, which is becoming a 100% shareholder of Quantic Dream,’ the studio announced in a new blog.
‘We will retain our independence in terms of our editorial line, the artistic direction of our projects and the management of the studio. Our teams, who are fully involved in this operation and who benefit directly financially, are of course fully preserved and will continue to grow and strengthen.’
‘NetEase Games is committed to supporting the innovation and development of video games worldwide, and it is within this framework that Quantic Dream will continue to grow. We will still operate independently, maintain the ability to create and self-publish our video games on all platforms, and continue to support and publish titles developed by third parties. ‘
Read: Multiple new Star Wars games are currently in development
According to co-CEO Guillaume de Fondaumière, Quantic Dream had interested multiple parties over the last year, with NetEase providing the safest and most reliable option. NetEase Games president Simon Zhu believes the companies share a ‘long standing-relationship … that’s built on mutual trust.‘
‘Over the years of working together, we have shared many common values and vision as fellow developers,’ Zhu told GamesIndustry.biz in the wake of the acquisition announcement. ‘We’ve always been there to support Quantic in whatever adventure they choose to take. When the studio made the decision to join NetEase, we were very happy to take our relationship to the next step.’
Quantic Dream is enthusiastic that it will be able to build on its most ambitious plans with NetEase at the helm, and take advantage of ‘industrial synergies’ going forward.
‘We could have gone public, but we didn’t want to have to compromise our creations with short term financial targets,’ Quantic Dream founder David Cage said of the purchase. ‘Selling to a large group such as NetEase made a lot of sense, it was a strategic choice to allow the studio to continue to evolve and to have long term ambitions in a competitive context.’
There will be no management or structure reorganisation as part of this acquisition, which raises plenty of questions about the culture and management of the studio. In recent years, it’s been alleged that Quantic Dream has a toxic workplace culture – claims that have allegedly led to hiring issues that may delay its upcoming projects.
At this stage, it’s unclear how the NetEase acquisition will change the studio – or whether there are plans to address recent company turmoil.
