NetEase might not be as large as fellow Chinese gaming company Tencent, but it’s still a big contender in the space. Now, it’s gaining a foothold in the US with a new studio, Jackalope Games.
Announced by the company’s English-language Twitter account, Jackalope Games will be setting up shop in Texas. It will serve “as a first-party studio of NetEase Games” and will develop “new and exciting PC and console games.” We have no idea what those games will entail, but we do know that they will be led by Jack Emmert. The veteran developer has worked on several MMOs, including City of Heroes, City of Villains, Marvel Heroes, DC Universe Online, and Star Trek Online. Given that rich history, it won’t be surprising at all if Jackalope’s first title is an MMO as well. It’s almost expected.
NetEase’s other works include a pair of licensed Marvel titles, asymmetrical horror game Identity V, and battle royale Cyber Hunter. It has developed mobile games primarily, though the latter two also made their way to PC.
That’s also the case for Diablo Immortal, which NetEase is developing in conjunction with Blizzard. That game’s release date is June 2 on iOS and Android, and pre-registration is open now on both platforms. That same day, Immortal’s surprise PC version will enter open beta.
