Chinese gaming and technology company NetEase is going to acquire Star Wars Eclipse developer Quantic Dream according to a new report.
While Quantic Dream is known for quite a few interesting games, its next title Star Wars Eclipse is a step in a new direction for the company. Some reports suggest that the company has been struggling to hire talent, but that might change with a fresh injection of cash from a new owner -- NetEase.
What We Know About NetEase's Reported Quantic Dream Acquisition
According to a new report from Tom Henderson at eXputer, sources speaking to him say that NetEase has been engaged in talks to acquire 100% of Quantic Dream, although there is a lot that is not yet certain.
Let's start with what we do know -- NetEase purchased a 10% minority stake in the company back in early 2019. That likely contributed to Quantic Dream's early 2020 announcement that it was now able to self-publish its games, nevermind the fact that its last few releases have been pretty darn successful.
Rumors have floated around that Quantic Dream was looking to be snapped up by a larger company, but nothing has been explicitly confirmed. Now, these sources say that NetEase may announce an acquisition of the company later this summer. It is currently unclear what stage the acquisition talks are at or whether they will be finalized -- if a deal is in the works, there's always the chance that it could fall apart.
While Tencent is usually the main Chinese gaming company acquiring (or investing in) other studios, NetEase is no stranger to working with studios outside of China. It acquired No More Heroes developed Grasshopper Manufacture late last year. Its developers have also helped make a number of mobile projects a reality such as a collaboration with 11 bit studios that resulted in Frostpunk Mobile.
