#Tencent

Funcom lays off staff and pivots to Conan Exiles and Dune: Awakening only, CEO to leave at year end

Funcom has begun a restructuring and will focus solely on long-term live operations for Conan Exiles and Dune: Awakening, with the number of affected staff undisclosed. CEO Rui Casais will leave the Tencent-owned Norwegian developer at the end of the year and be succeeded by Chief Product Officer Scott Junior, who has been at the company 25 years and served as executive producer on Dune: Awakening. Funcom said it will not share further details until the process concludes and that it remains committed to supporting and expanding both games and their communities.

Dune: Awakening Creative Director: In the Game Industry, the Only Constant Is Change

Funcom CCO Joel Bylos said the Dune: Awakening team submits content to Legendary Pictures for approval via Jira, with a highly simplified IP oversight process, and that director Denis Villeneuve once worried the game's name was too similar to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Bylos said the biggest change in the game's update is the addition of a single-player mode, plus difficulty options, and the console version uses the DualSense controller's haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. He noted most of Funcom is still working on Dune: Awakening and the studio is not ready to develop a new game, arguing stylized art will matter more than photorealism.

Yoozoo AI Red Coast Lab's Yu Huasong: How AI Agents Reshape Game Creation and Interaction

Yu Huasong, head of Yoozoo Network's AI Innovation Institute Red Coast Lab, shared at the 2026 China Metaverse Conference that AI Agents have three major game applications: multimodal content generation, intelligent NPCs with memory and decision-making, and one-click game creation from an idea. He said AI now covers all six major scenarios and over 100 sub-scenarios within Yoozoo, and presented the content production system YOOLab and the development collaboration platform YOOSpark.

September Global Mobile Game Revenue and Downloads Top 10: ROBLOX Ranks in Global Revenue Top 5

Sensor Tower data shows Honor of Kings remained the top-grossing mobile game worldwide in September 2026, while ROBLOX entered the global revenue top five and also topped both the revenue growth and download charts. Global mobile game spending reached $6.13 billion in September, down 7% month-over-month, with the US leading at 28.7% of revenue, while downloads totaled 3.56 billion, down 5.2%, led by India at 576 million. Tencent's Honor of Kings Chess ranked 7th on the revenue growth chart and 2nd on the download growth chart.

ARC Raiders hits 185,000 concurrents on Steam after 2.0 update as Embark moves to twice-yearly updates

ARC Raiders' 2.0 update, Frost Trail, launched on October 8 alongside a free-to-play period, and Steam concurrent players rose from about 10,000 in September to 185,000. The update adds the Pendora Pass map, the Outpost home system, tier-5 weapon upgrade paths and a reworked skill tree, while Embark drops monthly updates for twice-yearly deep updates. The article notes the free period as one driver and points to the October 13-20 PvE test, with Tencent's China server still in testing.

Zilong's JackWalker Studio Reveals Realistic Fishing Game "Extreme Angler"

Zilong Games has released the first PV and gameplay demo for "Extreme Angler," a multiplayer realistic fishing game developed by JackWalker Studio, a sub-studio under Blackjack Studio. The game uses a high-precision physics simulation system that turns underwater lure and fish behavior into a real-time waveform display, with controller vibration feedback on PC. The debut version includes three fishing methods, with initial fishing spots drawn from the Qiantang River system and 47 fish species across three rarity tiers.

Naruto mobile game announces international server as MoreFun pushes three titles this year

The Naruto mobile game, licensed by Bandai and developed by MoreFun, announced an international server after ten years of operation in China, alongside a three-year Naruto IP global plan called PROJECT: RASENGAN revealed at a New York Naruto event. No test or launch date has been given, and the first PV ends with both Bandai and MoreFun studio logos, with the Japanese server likely published by Bandai. The article also notes MoreFun's other two titles this year: Rock Kingdom: World announced its overseas release at Gamescom in late August with its first overseas PV passing 4 million YouTube views, and The Outcast is set for December with 34 million pre-registrations.

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.

Aream & Co: games M&A totals $57.8bn in Q3, including EA's $55bn leveraged buyout

Investment bank Aream & Co reports 54 games industry M&A deals worth $57.8 billion in the third quarter, including the $55 billion leveraged buyout of Electronic Arts completed on August 5. Content-focused M&A accelerated, with 18 control deals for developers and publishers above $100 million year-to-date, concentrated in Asia, including Alibaba's sale of Lingxi Games to Trustar Capital, Netmarble founder Bang Jun-hyuk's $270 million purchase of Tencent's stake, and Sony Music Entertainment's $180 million minority stake in GungHo. Public market revenue rose 122% year-on-year to $1.3 billion across 13 deals, while console revenue fell 12% to $14.1 billion, with Nintendo down 18%, Xbox 10% and PlayStation 9%.

The Division 2 China server to shut down on December 14

Tencent announced that The Division 2's mainland China server will officially shut down at 11:00 on December 14, citing a change in business strategy after talks with Ubisoft. Recharges and new user registrations stop at 11:00 on October 12, and forums and dedicated customer support close at 11:00 on December 22. Users who recharged before 11:00 on October 12 and still hold tokens in their accounts can claim gift packs for PUBG Mobile, Battle of Golden Spatula, Valorant, CrossFire and Honor of Kings during the compensation period.

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.

AI mini-game platform Astrocade hits 10 million MAU as Tencent, Google and Meta move in

GameLook reports that overseas AI game-creation platform Astrocade announced 10 million monthly active users, double the 5 million MAU four months earlier, with users generating playable content from natural language; it raised 56 million dollars in May from investors including Sequoia, Sea, Google's AI Future Fund and Nvidia. Tencent's Huya listed the AI game generator BinkBink on GooglePlay, Google partnered with Unity on the AI game platform Playground, and Meta unveiled Horizon Create and Horizon Studio at Meta Connect 2026. The article notes none of these platforms has settled on monetization, with Astrocade saying it is focused on user growth and will consider revenue growth sometime next year.

Bandai Namco announces global version of Naruto Mobile under three-year Project Rasengan plan

Bandai Namco announced a global version of the MoreFun Studios-developed fighting game Naruto Mobile for iOS and Android, with no release date set. The game first launched in China on May 19, 2016, so the global release comes more than 10 years after its debut. The localization is part of Project Rasengan, a three-year plan for new Naruto media from 2027 to 2029 that also includes the Naruto x Ninku anime limited series, the Naruto Card Game trading card game, and the Naruto: Shadow Rising manga.

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.

Ubisoft to shut down Rainbow Six Mobile's international servers as Tencent's Rainbow Six Siege China version stays in testing

Ubisoft Montreal said in an open letter on October 8 that Rainbow Six Mobile's international servers will shut down, staying open until January 15, 2027, with the next season still launching as planned next week and no further content updates after that. The game launched on February 23 this year, running for less than eight months. The piece notes that Tencent's 2024 license covers the multi-platform Rainbow Six Mobile, run domestically by its K9 team, while the PC title Rainbow Six Siege's China version received its license in January 2026 and began a second test round including paid content on September 15.

Delta Force hits 58 million DAU in China as overseas extraction shooters struggle

Delta Force announced on October 8 that its China server DAU passed 58 million, up from the 50 million reported in March. The piece traces its growth since launching in September 2024 and contrasts it with overseas extraction shooters, including KRAFTON ending development of PUBG: Black Budget on October 1 and Arc Raiders falling from a 481,000 concurrent peak to under 50,000 in June before recovering to 131,388 after the Frostline update on October 8. It credits frequent updates, cross-platform play and esports for the game's long-term run while noting a mismatch between overseas preference for PVE and domestic preference for PVP.

Phantom Blade Zero hands-on: fast combat built on 15 years of series history and Tencent funding

After roughly four hours of hands-on time, Kotaku's Lex Luddy argues Phantom Blade Zero plays closer to a hybrid of Sekiro and Devil May Cry than to Soulslike peers such as Black Myth: Wukong. Attacking and successful blocking do not drain stamina, only dodging and reacting to certain color-coded attacks do, and light attacks do not take animation priority over other inputs. The game offers 30 primary and 25 secondary weapons, with two primaries equipped at once and a left-trigger combo swap, while the author traces S-Game's Rainblood series back over 15 years and a 2021 open letter citing hundreds of millions of dollars in Tencent funding for two large-scale action RPGs.

Ubisoft announces Rainbow Six Mobile shutdown seven months after global launch

Ubisoft announced that Rainbow Six Mobile is shutting down, with the game playable until January 15, 2027. Ubisoft said the team will move on to other long-term strategic projects, and the game's next season will still launch as planned next week. Announced in 2022 and in development for six and a half years, the title was made by 11 Ubisoft studios with Tencent and had its worldwide rollout on February 23, 2026.

PUBG MOBILE Brainrot Royale Pumpkin-Themed Update in Version 4.6 Is Live

PUBG MOBILE's Brainrot Royale pumpkin-themed update is now live as part of Version 4.6 in World of Wonder. It adds the timed Ghost Ship event, Pirate Coins and the Pirate Captain's Shop, plus the Brainrot Wand and Magic Broom. The update also brings the Star Upgrade fusion system, a 64-Brainrot backpack limit and a Rebirth level cap raised by five levels.

Ubisoft is shutting down Rainbow Six Mobile on January 16, 2027

Ubisoft announced that Rainbow Six Mobile will shut down on January 16, 2027. The game soft-launched in 2023 and fully rolled out in February 2026, giving it less than a year of full availability. The developers will move on to other long-term strategic projects, which Ubisoft did not specify, and more details on the game's final days are promised in the coming weeks.

QQ Speed's "Leap Across China" Launches Fresh Fujian Version

QQ Speed has launched its "Leap Across China" Fresh Fujian version with support from Fujian's provincial culture and tourism department, marking the seventh year of the tourism collaboration program. The update adds four tracks based on Wuyi tea mountains, Sanfang Qixiang, Yongding tulou, and Citong Port, along with the "Feihua Zanyue" zanhua outfit and two A-class cars, "Yifan Fengshun" and "Xianghai Erge." The collaboration also appeared at the QQ Speed mobile Asian Cup finals in Xiamen.

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.

Arena Breakout Season 19 adds a card mode and Commander mode

Arena Breakout Season 19, live since September 2, has added Hardcore Mode 2.0, Commander mode and a card-based mode called Dark Zone: Blockade Line. A crossover with Girls' Frontline 2 launched on September 30, letting OTs-14 and Klukai join squads as commanders. The card mode is a turn-based deck builder with commander, soldier, weapon and order cards, three lanes and five preset starter decks.

Bilibili's New Pet-Catching Game Shines! Lumi Hits 50 Million Yuan in First-Week Revenue on App, Expands to Mini Games

Bilibili's self-developed vertical-screen pet-catching game Shines! Lumi generated 50 million yuan in its first week on the app market, entering the iOS top-grossing TOP 20 before climbing into the top ranks of WeChat mini games. The game emphasizes a hand-drawn art style, vertical-screen idle play and automatic pet catching, with a core loop that lets players experience collecting within about five minutes. Bilibili supported the dual-platform launch with in-site promotion, KOL content and holiday ad spending, validating its self-developed game strategy.

Arc Raiders and The Finals are getting film and TV adaptations with Chernin Entertainment

Embark Studios is working with Chernin Entertainment to adapt Arc Raiders and The Finals into films and TV shows. Variety reports several companies competed for the rights, with Chernin winning after its Backrooms horror film became a box office hit this year. Embark CEO Patrick Söderlund said the studio is working closely with Chernin to extend both properties into new formats, and no directors, writers, or cast have been announced yet.

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.

Ubisoft's Creative House 2 Rebranded as Massive Entertainment, Sharing Name With Its Own Studio

Ubisoft has rebranded Creative House 2 as Massive Entertainment, the branch responsible for nearly all Tom Clancy-branded games, with teams in Montreal, Paris, Sweden, and Toronto now operating under that brand. The Massive Entertainment studio will still exist within the Creative House and continues work on projects like The Division 3. The move follows Creative House 1's rebranding as Vantage Studios, with Ubisoft now operating five Creative Houses and one Creative Network.

Ubisoft Unites Splinter Cell, The Division and Ghost Recon Teams Under Star Wars Outlaws Studio Massive Entertainment

Ubisoft is renaming Creative House 2 as Massive Entertainment and placing its Paris, Montreal and Toronto studios along with Massive itself under that brand. The group will handle most Tom Clancy titles including The Division, Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell, plus the MOBA March of Giants bought from Amazon and unannounced new original IP, but not Rainbow Six. Ubisoft's remaining games are spread across five other creative houses, including the Ubisoft-Tencent joint venture Vantage Studios.

Massive becomes the global brand in charge of Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon, plus a new Ubisoft dieselpunk MOBA

Ubisoft announced that The Division studio Massive Entertainment is now the global brand for series including Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell, taking over the subsidiary previously known as creative house 2, with former Amazon and 2K executive Christoph Hartmann as general manager. Development teams for these franchises in Montreal, Paris, Sweden and Toronto will operate under the Massive Entertainment brand, though Ubisoft did not say what this means for developers on affected teams. The move continues Ubisoft's reorganisation into creative houses after Tencent's March 2025 investment, a restructuring that has brought layoffs, closures and cancellations.

Ubisoft renames its Creative House 2 label as "Massive Entertainment"

Ubisoft Montreal employees launch collective action to preserve hybrid work schedule

Ubisoft Montreal workers in the Ubisoft Workers of Montreal union have launched a petition to preserve hybrid work, gathering more than 300 signatures from Ubisoft employees as of Wednesday. Ubisoft announced in January that it was calling all employees back to the office five days per week alongside layoffs, delays, and studio closures, shortly after securing a $1.25 billion investment from Tencent. Paris-based employees went on strike in response, and Montreal team lead David Michaud-Cromp was put on unpaid leave and fired a week later after commenting publicly on the policy.

A million players reach top rank in twenty days as a player reviews Honor of Kings: Chess's learning curve

Honor of Kings: Chess announced on September 30 that a new Diamond Frenzy mode will unlock once one million players server-wide reach the top King rank, meaning over a million had already done so within about half a month of launch. The author, who has played over 100 hours, estimates that experienced players need 70 to 80 matches, roughly 40 hours, to reach that rank. The game topped the iOS free chart from pre-download through its first week, and after the Sun and Moon Walker skin line launched on September 25 it rose to sixth on the top-grossing chart and stayed in the top ten for several days. The author also notes community discussion moving from memorizing answers to understanding them, with players studying lineup logic and mid-game branching.

Tencent Leads $25 Million Series A for Turkey's Circle Games

Turkish mobile studio Circle Games has raised $25 million in a Series A round led by Tencent, bringing its total funding to $32.25 million. The new funds will be used to bring its newly launched Jelly Escape to more markets, grow Sort Express globally, and double its staff. Sort Express, a merge-elimination puzzle game, currently generates about 15 million yuan in monthly revenue.

How Many Kinds of "Fun" Can One Delta Force Hold?

Delta Force held its second anniversary celebration in Chongqing on September 25, where TES won the summer split finals of the Firestorm Pro League to complete a spring-summer title sweep and White took finals FMVP again. At the September 26 annual showcase, the game announced that Firestorm's "Siege" is planned for Spring Festival 2027, that All-Out Warfare will get a UE5 upgrade next season with the new map "Skyline" arriving in November, and that the Black Tide Blast beta season opened on September 27. The studio also teased new Firestorm experiments for 2027 and asked players to submit ideas.

Tencent Reportedly Testing AI Game Companion "Eciyuan" in Secret Beta

Tencent is reportedly running a secret beta for an AI game companion product called "Eciyuan," offering digital human characters, voice chat and real-time screen recognition. Players can pick male or female companions with different personas and enable a game companion mode, with the beta free for now. The product also includes a desktop pet feature, and its interface shows an energy system tied to conversation turns or companion time, though launch timing and final pricing remain undisclosed.

Tencent's The Hidden Ones set for December launch, Monster Hunter Outlanders international version launches October 29

Tencent's 3D fighting game The Hidden Ones, developed by MoreFun, is set to launch in December with a final test on November 4, and has over 30 million pre-registrations. TiMi's Monster Hunter Outlanders will launch its international version on mobile on October 29, while the China server is expected in 2027, with over 20 million global pre-registrations.

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