In late February, reports flagged that global conglomerate NetEase was planning to “pull back” on its international operations, with layoffs, production freezes, spending cuts, and a need for new funding impacting a variety of the the company’s owned studios. It sparked a wave of fears for many studios in businesses with NetEase, including Rebel Wolves, a studio formed of veteran CD Projekt Red staff.
Now, the studio has spoken out about the situation, confirming Rebel Wolves is not currently in the firing line. In a post on LinkedIn, Tomasz Tinc, co-owner and chief publishing officer of Rebel Wolves thanked the studio’s community for their well-wishes, and stated plainly its debut title, The Blood of Dawnwalker, is “fully funded” and secure.
“First and foremost, thank you for all the warm messages and wishes. The development of our game is progressing steadily, and we’re facing no financial issues,” Tinc said. “The Blood of Dawnwalker‘s production is fully funded, and we work alongside our partners and friends from Bandai Namco, our game’s global publisher, to bring the first chapter of the Dawnwalker saga to life.”
Tinc also outlined that Rebel Wolves is majority-owned by game designer and CEO Konrad Tomaszkiewicz and “other studio co-owners” who currently work directly for Rebel Wolves. NetEase is only a “minority shareholder” in the company, and therefore any changes on the NetEase side will not have a significant impact on the business.
Read: NetEase Games is reportedly ‘pulling back’ on international studios
The firm statement should allay fears from commentators watching NetEase’s next moves closely. Per reporting from Game File and Bloomberg, change is underway at the company, but ongoing “strategic” developments won’t impact all studios. In fact, a statement from NetEase Games claims it will continue to invest in its “global business” and “actively recruits and nurtures talent” worldwide.
Following these reports, Quantic Dream has also stepped in to discuss its own status, confirming like Rebel Wolves, it will continue to develop its upcoming projects with minimal disruption. Guillaume de Fondaumière, CEO and Head of Publishing at Quantic Dream posted to LinkedIn to state the studio’s Paris and Montreal teams “remain unaffected.”
“We are continuing to develop our projects at full pace, with several open positions available in both locations,” de Fondaumière said. “The developments of our current projects are progressing as planned, and we are fully committed to delivering and launching these innovative, high-quality titles in the future.”
In this statement, de Fondaumière also noted the company achieved its highest revenue in history in 2024, driven by the performance of its back catalogue titles. It’s likely this success means the studio remains a jewel for NetEase – and while it’s now a “wholly owned subsidiary,” work will likely continue as normal in the months and years ahead.
For now, we await more news from NetEase as it continues to work on its “strategic” goals for the future.
