Delays in the development of Destiny 2 content have contributed to tensions between Activision and Chinese tech giant NetEase, according to a new report from The New York Times. In 2018, Activision was reportedly unhappy with NetEase’s $100 million investment in Bungie, an FPS game development studio, because Destiny 2 development was already behind the content production schedule. Ultimately, this contributed to the tension that caused Activision to pull its games from the Chinese market in 2022.
The article is an overview of the unique challenges American companies face when doing business with Chinese companies. It examines the collapse of deals between Activision and Chinese tech giant NetEase to illustrate the cultural tensions and geopolitical divisions that challenge the companies’ ability to work together on a truly global scale.
It reports that during a long association, NetEase concluded that Activision CEO Bobby Kotick’s claims were unfounded. NetEase also believes that Activision may have used antitrust law as leverage to get a better deal, since Activision and Blizzard worked together to distribute games like World of Warcraft in China for 14 years.
Then in 2018, NetEase invested $100 million in Bungie, which was working with Activision to create Destiny.
“Mr. Kotick was unhappy with the investment because Bungie was behind on Destiny’s content development schedule, and feared the investment would further distract the company from its commitment to Destiny,” the post said, claiming that two representatives anonymous confirmed it.
Kotick was also reportedly upset by NetEase’s investment in the game development studio by a man who until recently held a senior position at Activision. The team considered ending the partnership. The subsequent agreement included language that prohibited NetEase from hiring former Activision employees or investing in studios founded by those employees.
In early 2019, less than a year after NetEase’s investment in Bungie, Activision parted ways with Bungie, relinquishing publishing rights to the Destiny franchise. At the time, Activision said the reason for the split was that Destiny “did not meet financial expectations.”
The article then examines the tensions surrounding Microsoft’s possible acquisition of Activision, suggesting that Kotick felt “threatened” by negotiations with NetEase, leading Activision to pull games like World of Warcraft, Diablo 3 and Overwatch from the Chinese market at the end of 2022. .
The situation is sticky, but at least it sheds light on the tensions that led to Bungie’s split in 2019. Across all platforms, the number of active players in Destiny 2 appears to have increased significantly since 2020, according to MMO Populations. In June 2020, the game had less than 1 million active players, but in March 2023 there were more than 1.6 million. This may be partly due to his decision to play for free after his split from Activision.
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Source : PC Gamesn
