#NetEase

South Korean lawmaker pushes Game Industry Promotion Act amendment over SOL: Enchant streamer spending dispute

South Korean lawmaker 김재원 raised the case of SOL: Enchant topping the charts alongside roughly 300 million won in streamer spending during an Oct. 12 parliamentary audit, and is seeking to amend the Game Industry Promotion Act to bar publishers from improperly buying in-game items or paying third parties to do so in order to lift sales rankings. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Game Rating and Administration Committee acknowledged no investigation was conducted, and current rules do not require separate disclosure of promotion spending. Netmarble said streamer promotion is one marketing method and that its contracts pay for marketing services, not for top-ups.

Apple Releases China App Store Ecosystem Report, Citing miHoYo and NetEase as Web Payment Cases

Apple published a China-only report on October 8 titled "China App Store Ecosystem — 2025 Developer and User Value Study," authored by antitrust experts Ju Heng and Markus von Wartburg. The report says the China App Store ecosystem generates about 4 trillion yuan annually with over 95% exempt from commission, and names miHoYo and NetEase as examples of developers using web stores and DTC channels to bypass Apple Pay. It also states Chinese apps accounted for 98% of domestic App Store revenue in 2025, with 52% of Chinese developers' App Store revenue coming from overseas.

From Top-Grossing Genre to Halved Revenue: Why MMO Mobile Games Collapsed

MMO mobile game in-app purchase revenue fell from $5.3 billion in 2021 to $2.8 billion in 2025, a 47% drop that far outpaced the RPG genre's 38% decline and the broader mobile market's 1% dip, according to an analysis by Naavik. Downloads also dropped 40%, from 345 million to 206 million, and revenue fell another 27% year-over-year from January to September 2026. The report attributes the structural collapse to engagement fatigue, spending fatigue and gameplay homogenization, compounded by open-world adventure RPGs like Genshin Impact raising the bar.

NetEase's Wildfire division unveils FPS Extreme Battlefield, PC test starts October 15

NetEase's Wildfire division has unveiled its new FPS Extreme Battlefield along with two gameplay videos showing gun feel and shooting combat. The game combines hero shooter and battle royale elements, using an in-match economy to link resource gathering, combat and progression, with its first test on PC starting October 15. The division previously made Knives Out and Blood Strike.

New NetEase FPS ECC: Redline Sparks Warzone 'Rip-Off' Claims, But Some Call of Duty Fans Are Happy to See It

NetEase has revealed ECC: Redline, a self-developed "extreme-sports tactical shooter" coming to PC via Steam and mobile, and players have called it a "1:1 rip" of Activision's Call of Duty: Warzone, citing similar gun feel, UI, sound effects, and camera blur. The free-to-play game has no release date, but some Call of Duty fans frustrated with Warzone say it could fill a specific void.

Touch Music Weekly Industry News: China Defends Honor of Kings Gold at Nagoya Asian Games, Delta Force Announces 58 Million DAU

On September 28, China beat Malaysia 4-0 in the Honor of Kings final at the Nagoya Asian Games, defending the gold medal it also won at the Hangzhou Asian Games, with player Yinuo becoming the league's first and only double gold medalist. On October 8, Tencent TiMi's Delta Force announced its China server daily active users surpassed 58 million as the game marked its second anniversary. NetEase also unveiled its extreme sports competitive shooter Extreme Battlefield, with its first test set to begin on October 15.

Grasshopper Manufacture splits from NetEase as Suda51 announces independence from October 1

Grasshopper Manufacture CEO Goichi Suda said on September 30 that the studio left NetEase Games by mutual agreement and became independent again from October 1. NetEase acquired the studio from Gung Ho in October 2021 with a goal of three high-profile original titles over ten years; the period produced a remaster of Shadows of the Damned and Romeo is a Dead Man, released on February 10, 2026, whose Steam sales were estimated at about 50,000. Apart from the self-running GPTRACK50 and Studio Flare, whose status is undisclosed, NetEase has now divested all the Japanese studios it founded or acquired, while its Japanese publishing and operations teams remain unaffected.

September WeChat Mini Game Top 100: Churn Rate Falls to 23%, Only Call of Duty Mobile Breaks Into Top 50

The September WeChat mini game bestseller Top 100 saw its churn rate fall from 25% in August to 23%, with only Call of Duty Mobile (No. 43) newly entering the Top 50 — the fewest new Top 50 titles so far in 2026. Zombie Cannon and Crazy Water World held the top two spots, while simulation management took three of the Top 10; among publishers, 37 Interactive Entertainment led with 7 titles, with Tencent Games and Dameng Longtu tied at 5 each.

What time does Marvel Rivals Season 10.5 release in your time zone?

Marvel Rivals Season 10.5 is about to release, and NetEase is breaking from tradition for this mid-season update. There is no new hero this time — Gorr is the only addition for the whole of Season 10 — but a massive new game mode is coming, along with Halloween specials including new skins.

Overwatch Fans Unhappy as Five New China-Exclusive Skins Stay Out of the Rest of the World

Blizzard this week revealed "Defiled Anthem," a new Overwatch event with skins and cosmetics for Shion, D.Mon, Kiriko, Reaper, and Emre, headlined by a transforming "Evolution" skin that changes sound and visual effects as a match goes on. The content is China-specific and has not been announced for other regions, drawing negative reactions from international players. Blizzard previously told IGN that China-only skins stem largely from its relationship with Chinese publisher NetEase.

Overwatch's Latest China-Exclusive Skins Spark Fan Backlash: 'I Still Don't Know How People Defend Blizzard For This'

Overwatch has released China-exclusive Defiled Anthem skins for Shion, Kiriko, D.Mon, Reaper, and Emre, with Shion's Evolution-rarity skin changing appearance during matches and adding kill effects. Fans are upset that the best cosmetics are region-locked to China while criticizing the quality of skins elsewhere, with one Reddit user asking how people still defend Blizzard. Blizzard's Walter Kong has said these exclusive events are part of the company's agreement with NetEase and will continue.

No. 6 on the Charts and the Twin-Star Universe: From Making Maps to Making Products

Eggy Party ranked No. 6 on the iOS top-grossing chart as its "Twin-Star Editor" system, announced at its fourth creator conference, moved into practice with the origin editor and world editor running in parallel. Three groups of UGC creators have turned park maps into "independent UGC products" with monetization and long-term operation, and studio Modeman grew to nearly 20 full-time staff within 4 months of joining, with its second map's revenue up over 350% from the first.

VGC's Andy Robinson Says Nagoshi Studio Is Effectively "Gone"

On the latest VGC Podcast, reporter Andy Robinson said Nagoshi Studio is effectively "gone," though it has not been announced. He also heard that Toshihiro Nagoshi has recently been applying at other studios.

Second RED LAND Opens Today: 160+ IPs Gather on Fuxing Island with World's First Game/Anime Float Parade

RED LAND, Xiaohongshu's open-world adventure island event, opened on October 2 on Fuxing Island in Shanghai's Yangpu district and runs through October 6. The site doubled from 80,000 to 150,000 square meters, with over 160 game and anime IPs and the world's first large-scale game and anime float parade featuring about 150 community-registered users. Official figures say all five ticket rounds sold out in an average of 20.6 seconds each, and 80% of ticket buyers came from outside Shanghai.

Surreal Narrative Adventure Game [AFANTASIA] to Be Published by Studio Sasanqua

Studio Sasanqua will publish Brazilian solo developer noidnoidnoid's surreal narrative point-and-click adventure game [AFANTASIA] for PC via Steam, with English, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese support. A release date was not announced. The game will be exhibited at Brazil Game Show 2026 from October 9 to 12, the studio's first event appearance as a publisher.

Grasshopper Manufacture announces split from NetEase Games and return to independence

Grasshopper Manufacture announced it is parting ways with NetEase Games and returning to independence. NetEase had acquired the studio from GungHo Online Entertainment in 2021, and CEO Goichi Suda said the decision followed full discussions and cooperation with NetEase. The studio released Romeo Is a Dead Man in February and marked its 28th anniversary in March, saying it will continue as an independent developer.

Suda 51's Grasshopper Manufacture splits from NetEase

Grasshopper Manufacture CEO Goichi Suda announced that the studio is splitting from NetEase Games and will move forward as an independent developer. Suda said the decision followed the completion of the action adventure game Romeo Is A Dead Man and thorough discussions with NetEase Games. The No More Heroes developer was acquired by NetEase Games in 2021 and had been part of the company for five years.

Grasshopper Manufacture Parts Ways With NetEase and Goes Independent

Grasshopper Manufacture has announced it has parted ways with parent company NetEase and is once again an independent developer. NetEase acquired the studio in 2021 but has since pulled back from investments, closing studios and withdrawing funding from major projects. CEO Goichi Suda said the decision followed thorough discussions with NetEase Games and with their cooperation, and that the studio continues to value the relationship.

Grasshopper Manufacture leaves NetEase to go indie again, Suda51 says it will deliver titles in a wider variety of styles

Grasshopper Manufacture, the studio behind No More Heroes and Killer7, has split from parent company NetEase and gone indie again, founder Goichi "Suda51" Suda announced. NetEase, which acquired the studio in 2021, has yet to comment on the deal. Suda said the decision followed thorough discussions with NetEase Games and reflects a desire to deliver titles in an even wider variety of styles.

Grasshopper Manufacture becomes independent as it splits from NetEase Games

Grasshopper Manufacture announced it is separating from NetEase Games to become an independent studio again. CEO Goichi 'Suda51' Suda said the release of Romeo is a Dead Man earlier this year led the studio to consider its future direction and to want to deliver titles in a wider variety of styles, with the decision reached after discussions and cooperation with NetEase. NetEase acquired the studio from GungHo Online Entertainment in 2021 for an undisclosed sum; Grasshopper had been part of the GungHo Group since 2013 and was founded by Suda in 1998.

Suda51's Grasshopper Manufacture splits from NetEase to become independent again

Grasshopper Manufacture announced it is splitting from NetEase and returning to independent status. CEO Goichi Suda, known as Suda51, said in a press release that the decision followed thorough discussions with NetEase and came with the company's generous cooperation. The studio was acquired by NetEase in 2021 and released only Romeo is a Dead Man under the publisher, after reports that NetEase planned to divest most of its overseas teams.

Grasshopper Manufacture splits from NetEase Games

Grasshopper Manufacture has split from NetEase Games.

Grasshopper Manufacture goes indie again after splitting with NetEase

Grasshopper Manufacture, acquired by NetEase in 2021, is splitting from the Chinese company and returning to independent development. CEO Goichi Suda said on September 30 that the decision followed thorough discussions with NetEase Games and that the two companies still value their relationship. The split comes after the studio released Romeo Is a Dead Man this year, and as NetEase systematically pulls back from the games industry, including halting funding for Nagoshi Studio's Gang of Dragon.

Grasshopper Manufacture splits from NetEase Games

Grasshopper Manufacture announced it has split from former parent company NetEase Games and is once again an independent developer. NetEase Games had acquired the studio from GungHo Online Entertainment in 2021. Representative director and CEO Goichi Suda said the decision followed thorough discussions with NetEase Games and their cooperation, after the studio released ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN this past February.

No More Heroes Dev Grasshopper Splits from NetEase, Returns to Independence

Grasshopper Manufacture, the Japanese developer behind No More Heroes, Shadows of the Damned and Lollipop Chainsaw, confirmed it is no longer owned by NetEase Games and has returned to being an indie studio. The two sides held talks and decided to part ways, with Grasshopper saying it has improved its self-publishing know-how and wants to deliver titles in a wider variety of styles. NetEase acquired the studio in 2021 and let it go five years later, ahead of Grasshopper's 30th anniversary.

Suda 51's Grasshopper officially regains independence from NetEase

Grasshopper Manufacture, the studio led by Goichi Suda, has announced it is officially independent of former parent company NetEase Games. The studio was acquired by NetEase in 2021 and released its latest title, Romeo Is A Dead Man, this February, marking its 28th anniversary in March. The statement said the decision followed thorough discussions with NetEase and their cooperation, and that the two companies will keep collaborating. NetEase has sharply scaled back its overseas investments, closing studios including T-Minus, FPC, Bad Brain and Ouka Studio, and splitting from Worlds Untold and Jar of Sparks.

Grasshopper Manufacture (Suda51) has split from now-former parent company NetEase Games

In Its Tenth Year, Why Can Zenless Onmyoji Still Pack Guangzhou Tower With Players?

Onmyoji's tenth anniversary celebration ran for 3 days at Guangzhou Tower Plaza, with the ground floor recreating the classic "Maple Autumn Courtyard" and the second floor hosting a birthday cake inflatable and interactive booths, plus a themed stage show at 8:30 pm nightly. On September 9, the day the tenth anniversary version launched, the game hit Top 3 on the iOS game revenue chart, its best anniversary performance in recent years. Players exchanged fan-made goods, joined the "Hundred Shikigami Parade," and rallied around the new "Battle for Shikigami" season that opened on September 25.

NetEase Fuxi AI Lead Wang Hongxian Shares Three Directions for AI Reshaping Games

Wang Hongxian, product lead at NetEase Leihuo's Fuxi AI Lab, spoke at the Alibaba Cloud AI Game Industry Forum during the 2026 Yunqi Conference, outlining three directions for AI in games: rebuilding the R&D pipeline, refreshing gameplay experiences, and exploring AI-native games. He presented a full-process AI Native solution connecting character, scene, GUI and video toolchains, and showcased the AI Copilot teammate in Naraka: Bladepoint plus long-term-memory AI NPCs and the "film crew mode" in Justice Online.

《心之眼》工作室濒临破产，已解雇全部员工

没有中国大厂的TGS：中国展商减少四成，韩国厂商增至127家

MindsEye developer Build A Rocket Boy has appointed administrators

MindsEye developer Build A Rocket Boy has appointed administrators following its latest wave of layoffs, with Opus Advisory Group confirmed as the administrator. A Companies House filing indicates the studio is insolvent, though the filing itself was not available at the time of writing. For the year ending September 30, 2025, the company posted a £47.5 million operating loss and a £36.2 million net loss, and owed creditors a total of £61.8 million.

Chuapp Weekly Industry Roundup: TGS2026 Opens, Phantom Blade Zero Passes 3 Million Wishlists, Aniimo Hits 120,000 Concurrent Steam Players

Chuapp rounds up the week's industry news: TGS2026 opened on September 17 with a five-day run through September 21, featuring 759 exhibitors and 3,946 booths, while Chinese exhibitors fell to 93 from last year. Gamma Data's August report put China's domestic game revenue at 31.627 billion yuan, up 8.08% year on year, with Lord of the Mysteries topping 100 million yuan in first-month revenue. Phantom Blade Zero passed 3 million wishlists, Aniimo hit over 120,000 concurrent Steam players on its PC launch day, and Wardogs sold over 2 million copies within five days of its early access release.

"A true world model must be a structured, interactive simulator"

NetEase's GPTRACK50 reveals first full trailer for debut game Stupid Never Dies, targeting 2026 release

GPTRACK50, a new NetEase studio led by former Capcom producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, has released the first full trailer for its debut game Stupid Never Dies, a speed-focused action game starring a freshly risen zombie named Davy who dives into hell's dungeons to collect Over-Technology and save humanity and his love. The game offers 11 combat styles including Zombie, Werewolf, Harpy, Golem, Vampire, Will o' the Wisp, Cyclops, Snow Fairy, Merfolk, Lich and Demon, which can be swapped for juggle combos. Its core loop is roguelike-like, with timed floor runs and stat and gear upgrades, and the studio is targeting a 2026 release on PlayStation and PC, with Steam Deck compatibility under consideration and Xbox and Switch not yet decided.