UK video games developer Bossa Studios has attracted investment from Chinese company NetEase.
The Surgeon Simulator developer has taken on an undisclosed amount of cash from NetEase, who now holds a "minority stake" in the studio. This money is said to allow Bossa to grow and support the developer's "long term strategy" ahead of a launch into the Chinese games market.
“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 CEO and co-founder Henrique Olifiers (pictured).
"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.”
NetEase VP Ethan Wang added: “Bossa Studios has real skill at turning boundless creativity into gaming experiences that will not just engage players, but inspire them as well. 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."