NetEase Games Launches First U.S. Studio

NetEase Games, the online gaming division of Chinese internet technology firm NetEase, announced on Thursday its first studio in the United States, Jackalope Games, which is based in Austin, Texas.

The firm says that Jackalope Games will be creating new and exciting PC and console games as a first-party studio of NetEase Games. Jackalope Games is led by industry veteran Jack Emmert, whose credits include City of Heroes, Neverwinter, Star Trek Online, and DC Universe Online.

Jackalope Games is NetEase Games’ initial first-party studio in the U.S., but it will operate independently and maintain creative autonomy in its game development and publishing. The first project produced by Jackalope Games is fully funded by NetEase Games.

Jackalope Games believes that collaboration and diversity are necessary ingredients for studio success. Although based in Austin, Jackalope Games embraces the virtual office and hires talent from all over the world.

According to a 2021 financial report released by NetEase, the net income of NetEase Games in 2021 was 62.8 billion yuan ($9.41 billion), while its users covered over 200 countries and regions.

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In November 2019, NetEase Games set up its first studio in Montreal, Canada. In 2020, NetEase opened a “Sakura” studio focusing on developing console games in Japan. In 2022, NetEase opened another game studio – “Nagoshi Studio” – in Japan, focusing on developing console games to be released globally.