China’s other gaming giant is quietly snapping up global talent

A man plays a computer game at an Internet cafe in Beijing. After more than a decade of toiling in Tencent’s shadow, NetEase’s gaming empire now surpasses Activision Blizzard Inc or Electronic Arts Inc in revenue in large part because of its reputation as a champion of developers, willing to bet on creative talent. — AFP

Jenova Chen needed money to put his latest game out in China. It was 2016, right after Tencent Holdings Ltd made a splash by taking over Clash Of Clans studio Supercell Oy, and Chen was counting on the newly acquisitive Internet giant.

But when Tencent passed, calling his novel mix of stylised designs and free-play too risky, it was the smaller NetEase Inc that swooped in. Founder William Ding flew all the way to San Francisco and spent hours with Chen to seal the deal, unheard-of back then for the reclusive Chinese billionaire.