Chinese games giant NetEase has announced the purchase of a minority stake in French developer Quantic Dream.

No figure has been put on the deal, but the end goal is apparently to help the studio grow to a multi-IP entertainment firm. Maybe CEO and founder David Cage will be finally making the films he so clearly wants to!

That's on top of the French firm being able to invest in tech and games.

No figure has been put on the deal, nor do we know just how much of Quantic Dream NetEase owns 

"With a strong focus on in-house development, we are constantly looking for partners that complement us in the development and creation of the next generation games," NetEase VP Ethan Wang said.

"Quantic Dream's excellence in interactive storytelling and the valuable expertise it has built over the past two decades is exactly what we have been looking for. We are pleased to partner with Quantic Dream and we hope to create incredible game experiences for players all around the globe."

CEO David Cage added: "The landscape of the gaming industry will go through major evolutions in the coming years, with new hardware to come, new business models to explore and new ways of playing to invent. We want Quantic Dream to take a key role in this exciting future and having NetEase by our side as a strategic partner will allow us to expand our creative vision and develop the company to its fullest potential. NetEase understands what Quantic is about as they share our passion for high-quality games and our ambitions for the studio."

Finally, co-CEO at Quantic Dream Fondaumiere commented: "We have been impressed by NetEase's vision, their commitment to quality and innovation and their impressive track-record and know-how in crafting and operating some of the most popular games on the planet. Partnering with NetEase will open new opportunities for our studio and strengthen our position as pioneers and innovators."

This is the latest Western deal that NetEase has struck. The firm has a long-standing publishing relationship with Blizzard in China, one which has just been renewed, with the two games companies collaborating on mobile Diablo Immortal. That game's reveal went really, really well, in case you were curious.

The Chinese company has also partnered with UK racing specialist Codemasters not only for a publishing agreement on PC, but the two are collaborating on a brand new mobile title, as well.

Quantic Dream was in the news a fair bit during the start of 2018 and not purely because of its upcoming project, Detroit. There were allegations made by the French media about the studio's toxic working culture, which its leadership fiercely protested. The developer then went on to sue many of the original outlets who reported on the story. 

Cage's company went on to lose a lawsuit brought against it by a former employee over its working environment.