Bungie eyes China and self-publishing after NetEase deal

This weekend it was announced that NetEase has made a significant investment ($100 million) in Bungie with the studio, therefore, looking to the east with future projects in mind.

The minority stake in the Destiny developer is intended to help the studio work across multiple projects and self-publish games, although that move won't affect the relationship that Bungie has with Activision.

In fact, given the links between NetEase and Activision (they've been involved with publishing World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo III and more in China) it's entirely plausible that the deal will mean great synergy between all parties and, of course, the potential release of Destiny in China.

"While we are huge fans of the title and would love to bring it to China, as far as Destiny 2 is concerned, that decision is ultimately Bungie and Activision-Blizzard's," explained strategic investments and partnerships manager Simon Zhu.

Here's the statement shared by Bungie this weekend:

At Bungie, our purpose is to build worlds that inspire friendship. For over twenty-five years, through Marathon, Myth, Oni, Halo, and Destiny, we've created fantastic places where players have gathered to become heroes. Now, our long-term goal is to become an entertainment company that sustains many worlds simultaneously - Destiny and new worlds to come.

Today, we're excited to announce that we've entered into a new partnership with NetEase to help us explore new directions. With their industry expertise, they'll empower us to build new worlds and invite players, new and old, to join us there. They'll help us support separate teams inside Bungie to bring our newest ambitions to life.

If you're a player of Destiny, this news won't impact the hobby you've come to know. Destiny is an experience that will grow for many years to come. We'll continue to work with our partners at Activision to foster this global community and turn new players from all over the world into Guardians. Our commitment to that world is not diminished by this announcement. We have exciting plans for the future of the Destiny franchise, and you'll learn more about the next steps we'll take together in the weeks to come.

For now, we're grateful for the opportunity to welcome NetEase to the family. We have a bold vision to explore with them, but that is all a conversation for another time.