Gaming Archives - Pandaily

NetEase Expresses Strong Dissatisfaction With Blizzard’s Game Agreement Termination

A game license agreement between Blizzard and NetEase will expire on January 23, and Blizzard has decided not to renew it. Blizzard China latest announcement invited widespread criticism from Chinese web users.

miHoYo Denies Issuing Sky-High Year-End Bonuses

Shanghai-based game company miHoYo on January 12 denied rumors that it had been issuing extremely high year-end bonuses, with some employees that receive a monthly salary of 8,000 yuan ($1,184) taking in a 864,000 yuan bonus ($128,150).

Social Deduction Game “Goose Goose Duck” Denies Being Distributed or Acquired by Tencent

After "Goose Goose Duck," a social deduction game produced by Gaggle Studios, became popular in China, its server crashed repeatedly and the firm had to halt service to carry out maintenance.

Shanghai-Based Games Publisher miHoYo Accelerates Global Expansion

Liu Wei, the founder and president of Shanghai-based games publisher miHoYo, said on January 10 that relying on Shanghai's innovative and entrepreneurial environment, the company's global business has made great progress.

NetEase Games Acquires Canada-Based Game Studio SkyBox Labs

NetEase, a leading Chinese internet and game services provider, announced on January 6 that its games division had acquired SkyBox Labs, a Canada-based game studio.

NetEase Explores Global Game Market by Setting up Studios and Investing

In 2022, only 468 new games obtained approval from Chinese authorities, far less than the 679 approved in 2021. The tightening domestic game market forced NetEase to develop operations in overseas markets.

Tencent’s Mobile Music Game “Rhythm Master” Set to Return

In February of 2021, Tencent announced that its classic mobile music game "Rhythm Master" would be suspended. On December 26 of this year, however, the team responsible announced that they would start initial technical tests, indicating the game's eventual return.

Hearthstone Team in Talks With New Potential Game Distribution Partners in China

Blizzard China released a letter from Nathan Lyons-Smith, General Manager of Hearthstone’s production team, to all of the game’s players in China on December 23, saying that it is currently negotiating with some potential new distribution partners.

World of Warcraft Team in Talks With New Potential Distribution Partners in China

Blizzard China released a letter from John High, General Manager of World of Warcraft's production team, to all of the game's players in China at midday on December 13, saying that it is currently negotiating with some new potential distribution partners.

Virtual Game Assets Gain Attention as Many Blizzard Titles Prepare to Suspend Services in China

When a licensing deal between Activision Blizzard and Chinese game firm NetEase expires on January 24, 2023, many popular games such as World of Warcraft and Hearthstone will suspend services in mainland China.

ByteDance’s Moonton Opens Game Copyright Lawsuit Against Tencent

A software copyright infringement case leveled by ByteDance-owned game developer Moonton against Tencent opened for court sessions in Shanghai on November 29, attracting significant attention from the broader market.

miHoYo Cancels Game Project Led by CEO

Chinese game developer miHoYo on November 24 announced the formal dissolution of Project SH, a game product led by Cai Haoyu, the co-founder and CEO of the firm and producer of Genshin Impact.

Tencent and Blizzard Have Weighed Game License Deal for Over a Year

On November 17, Activision Blizzard suddenly announced that its existing agreement with NetEase will expire on January 23, 2023. Multiple Chinese game developers who are negotiating agency rights with Blizzard Entertainment include Tencent, ByteDance's Nuverse, Perfect World and others.

China Resumes New Game Approvals After One-Month Suspension

China's National Press and Publication Administration announced on November 17 an approval list for new online games this month, showing a total of 70 authorized titles. Tencent, which has not obtained approvals since September, attracted wide attention.

Blizzard Requires NetEase to Pay Two-Year Cooperation Income in Advance, Sources Say

Activision Blizzard, led by CEO Bobby Kotick, reportedly put forward stricter conditions in contract renewal negotiations with the Chinese firm NetEase, including requiring it to pay the cooperation income of the next two years to Blizzard in advance once it completes the contract renewal.

Game Developer miHoYo Denies Rumors of Licensing Deal with Activision Blizzard

Blizzard Entertainment, a leading game developer and publisher based in California, announced that it will not renew its licensing deal with Chinese game developer Netease. Chinese game company miHoYo was rumored to take over the deal.

Blizzard Halts Game Services in China as Licenses With NetEase Expire

Blizzard Entertainment, a leading game developer and publisher based in California, announced on November 16 that it will be suspending most game services in mainland China due to the expiration of current licensing agreements with China's NetEase.

37 Interactive Entertainment Ranks First in Global Revenue List of Chinese Game Makers

On November 15, data.ai, a third-party data organization, published the income list of Chinese game manufacturers in overseas markets for the month of October. 37 Interactive Entertainment surpassed Tencent, miHoYo and other game manufacturers for the first time, ranking first.

Chinese Game Makers See Stock Prices Increase after State Media Recognizes Value

One of China's official media outlets published an article entitled "the opportunity in the gaming industry cannot be missed". The news sent stock prices of Chinese game makers in Hong Kong shooting upwards.

License Deal Between Activision Blizzard and NetEase Faces Expiration

Activision Blizzard, a leading US video game developer, released its financial report for the third quarter of fiscal year 2022 on November 8, acknowledging potential problems with its title publication business in China.

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