NetEase invests minority stake in Bossa Studios 

Chinese megacorp NetEase has invested an unspecified sum in a minority stake in London-based Bossa Studios.

The investment will see the Surgeon Simulator​, ​I Am Bread, and Pigeon Simulator developer “continue its growth as a developer of innovative and globally popular games released on cutting-edge platforms” and expand into the huge Chinese market, worth $37bn (£28.7bn) in revenue annually, starting with family-friendly multiplayer, ​Hogwash. 

Other investment partners include Atomico, London Venture Partners and Makers Fund.

“There’s a huge amount of change and disruption around the corner for the games industry at large – from user-generated content and co-creation to subscription platforms and streaming services,” said Bossa Studios Co-Founder and CEO, Henrique Olifiers. “While we’re already recognised as a creative powerhouse within the industry, we are now wholly focused on pairing these ideas with a stronger execution in order to take advantage of the new opportunities ahead of us.

“In the past few months we’ve been working extremely hard at weaving a powerful, new start at Bossa, returning to our core strengths in order to build the company’s future. These strengths can be illustrated by creative initiatives such as Bossa Presents​, where we’re publicly validating several game ideas with the players to work on games that are already a success before they are even launched. To have our plans and their implementation validated through investment by an industry titan such as NetEase is really encouraging. It’s a great way to celebrate the results of an incredibly transformative chapter at the studio.”

“Bossa Studios has real skill at turning boundless creativity into gaming experiences that will not just engage players, but inspire them as well,” added Ethan Wang, VP of NetEase. “Bossa Studios is a valuable addition to our in-house development capabilities. We look forward to working with them to create fun and differentiated game experiences for game players worldwide.”