nWay Announces Partnership with NetEase to Bring ARPG ChronoBlade to China's Massive Mobile Gaming Market
SAN FRANCISCO, May 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- nWay, a San Francisco-based gaming startup, and leading Chinese online and mobile game service provider NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES), today announced an exclusive mobile and online publishing partnership for ChronoBlade, nWay's free-to-play Action RPG that features synchronous multiplayer cooperative and competitive hack-and-slash gameplay. Under the agreement, NetEase, Inc. has full publishing rights of ChronoBlade on mobile platforms in mainland China.
Through the partnership, nWay will tap into NetEase's expertise with localization and marketing to navigate the rapidly growing but complex Chinese mobile gaming market. With mobile gaming revenue in China expected to continue its unprecedented growth in 2015 to $6.1 billion and to surpass the US market in 2016, effective distribution in the Chinese market is increasingly important for Western game developers. "NetEase is the number one company in China for core games on mobile, and we're truly excited to work with them to bring ChronoBlade to mobile gamers in China," said Taehoon Kim, CEO of nWay. Further underscoring the need to partner with an established Chinese publisher is China's fragmented mobile market which contains hundreds of app stores and 3rd party app markets.
The rapid increase in Chinese mobile gaming revenue is largely driven by the growth of hardcore games. Although hardcore gamers only represent a small percentage of China's total paying mobile players, they contribute an estimated 60-70% of China's total mobile gaming revenue. Within the mobile gaming community, there seems to be strong demand for high quality Action RPGs but there are few, if any, that have met the quality expectations that hardcore gamers want and ChronoBlade hopes to capitalize on this unmet need and first-mover advantage. "NetEase has published some of China's top grossing mobile games this year and we're aiming to strengthen our position in the hardcore mobile gaming space with console-quality titles like ChronoBlade, which features a skill-based expressive combat system," said Ethan Wang, VP of NetEase Games. ChronoBlade offers many other key features including real-time multiplayer cooperative and competitive gameplay, and open ended character progression via customizable skill trees and equipment upgrades, features typically found in traditional RPGs. The official Chinese website for ChronoBlade can be found at http://cb.163.com. Further details about closed beta testing and launch timelines will be announced at a later date.
ChronoBlade is a free-to-play multiplayer ARPG that features side-scrolling hack-and-slash gameplay on mobile, TV, and browser platforms. The game offers cooperative and competitive synchronous multiplayer gameplay by utilizing nWay's proprietary back-end technology. nWay features a veteran development team that has worked on hit titles such as StarCraft, Diablo II, Grand Theft Auto, and Lineage II.
To learn more about nWay and ChronoBlade:
- Visit Us on the web at: www.nway.com and www.chronoblade.com
- Like Us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/chronoblade
- Follow Us on Twitter at: @nWayGames
- Subscribe to Us on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/nWayGames
About nWay
nWay is the game studio behind ChronoBlade, a competitive and cooperative multiplayer Action RPG for mobile, TV, and browser platforms. The free-to-play title, set to launch on mobile in 2015, features fast-paced and synchronous cross-platform multiplayer gameplay by leveraging nWay's proprietary technology for a latency-free experience. Founded in 2011, the company is based in San Francisco with offices in China and Korea, and currently employs 70 people with venture funding from Baseline Ventures, TransLink Capital, Cowboy Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Harrison Metal, Keytone Ventures, Bowana, WI Harper Group, ZhenFund, and XG Ventures. For more information, visit nWay at www.nway.com.
About NetEase
Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Guangzhou, China, NetEase (NASDAQ: NTES) has built on years of trust and experience to establish its leading position in domestic markets through the development of Internet applications, services and other technologies. With a core business focused on the online gaming industry and by putting users first and adhering to its core principles of quality, honesty and superior gameplay, NetEase continues to draw the world's attention to China, helping new companies to access the huge potential of the 1.3 billion-strong market.
Contact Information
nWay
Alex Pan, 917-450-6410
Marketing Director
[email protected]
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SOURCE nWay
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