NetEase Invests $2.5 Million in Reforged Studios

Chinese Tech Giant Expands Western Game Development Portfolio with Strategic Investment in Finnish Startup

  
BRISBANE, Calif. — October 27, 2015 — NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES) today announced that its NetEase Capital Venture arm has made a $2.5 million investment  into Reforged Studios, a privately held game studio based in Helsinki. The capital will be used to provide the studio’s veteran team with production resources to accelerate and enhance both new and existing development projects both existing and new, as well as drive recruitment of the Nordic region’s brightest talent.
 
Reforged Studios was formed in 2015 by industry veterans who have played key roles at Riot Games, Electronic Arts, Blizzard Entertainment, DICE, Games Workshop, Ubisoft, LucasArts, and many more. The studio’s goal is to create world-class core games with strong mainstream appeal and high production values.
 
Reforged Studio plans to release its first title, an epic fantasy army battler, on mobile devices in 2016.
 
“At Reforged we bring together a wealth of experience in core gaming and passion for evocative world-building. Our creative vision is unique and ambitious in the high-quality competitive gaming space,” said Teemu Vilén, CEO of Reforged Studios. “Gaming is undergoing unprecedented growth and exciting changes. The partnership with NetEase, a company with tremendous experience on PC and mobile worldwide, allows us to be a part of the future of gaming globally.”
 
“The leadership and talent that came together to form Reforged Studios really attracted us to make a strategic investment in them,” said Amy Huang, Assistant Vice President of NetEase Capital. “We continue to aggressively pursue our vision for globalization and expansion westward based on our successes in Asia, and the Reforged partnership is a key step for us in that direction. We warmly welcome Reforged Studios as a part of our portfolio of investments in top development talents from around the world.”
 
Reforged Studios is based in Helsinki, the capital of Europe’s games industry, with another office in Los Angeles. To learn more about Reforged Studios, visit their website at www.reforgedstudios.com/.
 
Beijing-based NetEase Capital focuses on early-stage VC investments in technology companies, with Reforged following other recent game investments including Counterplay Games, Red Accent Studios, and Motiga.
 
About NetEase
NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) is a leading Internet technology and video game company headquartered in China. With a breadth of experience in content creation and sharing, NetEase develops and operates some of China’s most popular online games (including Fantasy Journey to the West, World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®: Heroes of Warcraft™, StarCraft® II, Heroes of the Storm™ and Diablo®III), e-mail services, advertising services, mobile applications and games, and web portals. The company has a SF-based office, with plans to expand their offerings by releasing mobile games for Western audiences. For more information, please visit: http://ir.netease.com/.
 
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar statements. The accuracy of these statements may be impacted by a number of business risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated, including risks related to: the risk that NetEase’s investment in other game developers may not produce positive returns or increase shareholder value; the risk that NetEase’s expansion into non-Asian markets may not succeed due to competition or other factors;; and other risks outlined in NetEase’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. NetEase does not undertake any obligation to update this forward-looking information, except as required under applicable law.
 

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