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NetEase Games studio Worlds Untold ‘pauses operations’ as it seeks new partner

Ryuichi Naruhodo

Ryuichi Naruhodo

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Worlds Untold, a studio led by Mass Effect series writer Mac Walters and established in November 2023 as a NetEase Games subsidiary, has made the “difficult decision to pause operations” as it searches for a new partner, Walters said in a LinkedIn update. It was developing a near-future action adventure game set in a “breathtaking world filled with mystery and exploration.”
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https://www.gematsu.com/2024/11/net...ld-pauses-operations-as-it-seeks-new-partner?

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/worl...s-for-this-activity-7267282640670482433-OJta/

By Coincidence , This is the 2nd day in a row a news was published that a newly established studio led by ex-Mass effect are facing difficulties
 
It's almost like NetEase saw the news on Monday and went all "hey, why not me too?".

But yeah, I guess we're entering end-of-year layoffs/shutdowns season : /
 
Lite_Agent said:
It's almost like NetEase saw the news on Monday and went all "hey, why not me too?".
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According to Shinobi on ResetERA, both games were backed by NetEase.
Edit: Nobody else has confirmed this though.
So it's not a case of "why not me too" but rather "Alright, we're cost cutting this and that and maybe this?

It has nothing to do with that. Both this and Casey Hudson's studio were backed by NetEase. They're scaling back on their investment in Western teams. I wouldn't be surprised if Jar of Sparks is next too.
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Jar of Sparks is also another western studio funded by NetEase. I'm sure they're not concerned at all.
 
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Undead Warrior said:
I have a feeling that every single "Triple A Indie" studio founded in the past four years is headed for this same outcome shortly...
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all these studios feel like a new version of this comic. just replace "kickstarter" with venture capitalists/chinese money

pzbdS9KmcSWa9CVy9HRVz2CswHYri5B-RI9eJWrXkZc.jpg
 
Publishers are skittish right now, even big IPs are falling flat in the triple-A space.

It seems to be a trend that some game devs who worked on big games get funding because of their background instead of realistic expectations.
 
I get the feeling that a lot of companies that saw the gold rush that was gaming in the pandemic are now realizing that investing 150-200m dollars on a game that will take 5-6 years to come out (assuming everything goes smoothly) with a high chance of just flat out fail does not feel like a great idea.

I mean, if we take a super great successful game that sells 25m copies at an average price of $45, we are looking at 1.175bn revenue (not profit) after 5-6 years of a 200m investment, take 30% out of that 1.175bn (potential fees and all that), subtract the initial 200m and you are left with a net profit of 600m.

sounds great in theory, but how many games do that? 1%? 0.1%?
 
Assuming that Humanoid Origin was also NetEase funded, between this, that and Ouka Studio Japan, NetEase is absolutely savage to the pitch decks and prototypes.
Another thing that Humanoid Origin and Worlds Untold have in common is a coastal Canadian workforce, and I have to wonder if that has a part to play in this.
Evilnemesis8 said:
According to Shinobi on ResetERA, both games were backed by NetEase.
So it's not a case of "why not me too" but rather "Alright, we're cost cutting this and that and maybe this?



Jar of Sparks is also another western studio funded by NetEase. I'm sure they're not concerned at all.
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There’s no suggestion of this being the case anywhere except from them. Won’t say it’s not true, but receipts would be nice.
 
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