The studio’s debut title, code-named “Project Loki”, will be published by NEXON in Korea and Japan, and NetEase Games in China

LOS ANGELES – April 18, 2024 – Theorycraft Games has announced multi-year publishing partnerships with two industry giants, NEXON and NetEase, to bring their debut title, codenamed ‘Project Loki,’ to players in Korea, Japan and China.

Described by players as “League meets Apex meets Smash,” Project Loki has been iterating with a live playtesting community since Theorycraft’s formation, seeing over 150,000 players signed up to playtest, and running over 50+ unique playtests in North America and Europe. It was the strength and reception of those playtests, as well as the veteran team at Theorycraft, that led NEXON and NetEase to bet big on this in-development title.

“It’s rare to come across an opportunity like Project Loki and we are committed to bringing the title to our audiences because we believe they will appreciate its unique combination of deep competition and unpredictable fun,” stated Joo Yi, Head of Partnerships at NEXON Korea. “With team members having helped build blockbuster franchises such as League of Legends, VALORANT, and Overwatch, we firmly believe in the capability of Theorycraft Games and are honored to bring their first title to Korea and Japan.”

“Theorycraft’s ‘10,000-hour games’ game design concept aligns perfectly with NetEase’s identity as ‘Game Enthusiasts’. The creative game design of Project Loki, along with its competitive potential demonstrates unlimited imaginative space to us,” said Frank Xiang, Vice President at NetEase Games. “We believe this collaboration will be highly successful, and we have full confidence in the potential for Project Loki in the competitive gaming market in China.”

Theorycraft Games will continue to self-publish Project Loki for the rest of the world as the studio remains focused on building the game via their live community and monthly playtests.

“We recognize the incredible privilege it is to be a new, independent studio with two remarkable publishing deals while still in alpha development,” said Michael Chiang, Head of Asia and Global Corporate Development for Theorycraft Games. “We’re thrilled that these two industry titans believe in Project Loki. Like us, we know that both NEXON and NetEase appreciate deeply engaging, community-focused games, as we’ve already seen with their own titles like MapleStory (NEXON) and Naraka: Bladepoint (NetEase). We couldn’t ask for better partners to bring Project Loki to gamers in Asia.”

You can find assets here. You can also find a video from Joe Tung with additional gameplay footage here.

About Theorycraft Games

Theorycraft Games is an independent game studio on a mission to make deep, 10,000-hour games that are just better when played with friends. Theorycraft was formed in December 2020 by a founding team that includes Joe Tung, Mike Tipul, Michael Evans, and Areeb Pirani – former studio leaders at Riot Games, Bungie, and Blizzard Entertainment. Collectively they led the development of games such as League of Legends, Halo, Destiny, Overwatch, and VALORANT. For more information, please visit https://www.theorycraftgames.com/ 

About NEXON

Founded in 1994, NEXON Co., Ltd. (Nexon) (3659.TO) is a company engaged in the production, development and operation of online games. First listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in December 2011, Nexon was placed on JPX400 in 2015 and added to the Nikkei Stock Index 300 in 2017. In 2020, Nexon was added to the Nikkei 225. Nexon currently has more than 45 live games in more than 190 countries on PC, console, and mobile. Major game franchises include MapleStory, KartRider and Dungeon&Fighter. In 2021, Nexon completed the acquisition of Embark Studios AB, a company based in Stockholm, Sweden, developing multiple projects for global release. For more information, please visit https://www.nexon.com/ 

About NetEase Games

NetEase Games, the online games division of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES and HKEX: 9999), is a leading global developer and publisher of video game IP across a variety of genres and platforms. NetEase Games’ development and publishing slate include titles such as Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, Knives Out, and Naraka: Bladepoint, and partnerships with major entertainment brands such as Warner Bros and Mojang AB (a Microsoft subsidiary). NetEase Games also supports the growth and development of its innovative global studios in Canada, Europe, Japan and the United States. For more information, please visit https://www.neteasegames.com/