While Star Wars Eclipse is still very mysterious, it should be a very big play. The jackpot for the Chinese company NetEase?
In August 2022 we were able to learn that Quantic Dream (Star Wars Eclipse, Detroit: Become Human) would go under the Chinese flag via a takeover of the French company by the publisher NetEase. At that time the Chinese giant said:
NetEase will deliver on its promise to help Quantic Dream reach its full potential. By combining Quantic’s wild creativity and exceptional storytelling focus with NetEase’s powerful facilities, resources and execution capabilities, we believe there are endless possibilities that are redefining the interactive entertainment experience we bring to gamers around the world.
Despite everything, we had no idea of the sum involved in such a buyout, although we could assume that it was quite lucrative for the publisher.
The jackpot for NetEase, with Star Wars Eclipse in play
According to insiders and always very competent Tom HendersonSources revealed that NetEase acquired Quantic Dream for around 100 million dollars. The math was actually quite simple, with several sources privately revealing the amount of payment they received as a result of the full takeover (which ranged from $50,000 to $100,000). With the calculation based on our own share, we arrive at 100 million dollars for the entire company.
According to Henderson and his sources, David Cage, the founder and CEO, along with members of his family owned a 51% stake in Quantic Dream, meaning his payout was likely in the $50 million range. A tidy sum for Cage.
Conversely, 100 million dollars seems little if we consider the development of a Star Wars AAA game. Did NetEase just pull off a marvelous financial coup? Despite the internal difficulties for the development of Star Wars Eclipse (especially because of the graphics engine) one can imagine without getting too wet that such a license could make it possible to pay part of the refund thanks to the receipts.
Apparently, this isn’t official information at the moment, although Henderson is rarely wrong. Given this information, what do you think of such a sum for a buyout of this magnitude?
