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Kotick: Tencent a 'passive investor' in Activision Blizzard buyback
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick stated in an early-morning conference call that Tencent's participation in the buyback from Vivendi is merely a sign of the company's "enthusiasm." Within last night's announcement of Activsion Blizzard's $8 billion buyback from Vivendi, it was noted that a group of investors led by CEO Bobby Kotick will own a 24.9 percent stake in the newly independent company. Tencent, a Chinese company with extreme amounts of cash and fingers in many, many video game pies, was listed in the group. "As far as Tencent, you know, I think their investment just confirms the enthusiasm we have in our partnership for Call of Duty in China. They do not have a board seat. They are a passive investor and I think it was largely as a result for the enthusiasm we're doing together," said Kotick on this morning's call. Kotick also mentioned later that this group he leads and Tencent is a part of (ASAC II LP) doesn't have any rights to nominate board members. Tencent currently owns League of Legends developer Riot Games and nearly half of Epic Games (and its ubiquitous Unreal Engine). As for those pies we mentioned, they come in Electronic Arts FIFA and Take-Two NBA flavors.
EA bringing FIFA Online 3 to China, TenCent publishing
EA will bring FIFA Online 3 to China with TenCent as its publisher, EA announced in its Q1 2014 financial results report. The online soccer game was published in Korea by Nexon, where it found some success; EA reported that digital net revenue from the game grew 88 percent in the first quarter (April 2013 through June 2013) compared to the likes of FIFA Online 2 on a non-GAAP basis. The earnings report notes that details of the publishing partnership between TenCent and EA will be announced in the future. TenCent also published NBA 2K Online in China in September 2012.
Activision Blizzard makes up with the ESA
After taking its toys and going home in 2008, Activision Blizzard has kissed and made up with the Entertainment Software Association as announced in a press release this morning. The ESA is not only in charge of organizing E3 each year, but it's also seen as the political arm of the gaming industry. This, along with the joining of Tencent (owner of Riot Games, Epic Games, and the ZAM Network), brings the ESA's membership to 37 companies. Does this mean we'll see more of Blizzard's goodies at E3 while other large companies are skipping the industry expo? Could this be an act of desperation on the part of Activision Blizzard or the ESA? Let us know in the comments! [Source: ESA press release]
Activision rejoins ESA after five year absence
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced this morning Activision Blizzard and Tencent have joined the trade association. Tencent (Riot Games, minority stakeholder in Epic Games) is new to the lobbying group, which puts on the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) every year, but Activision Blizzard returns after a very high-profile departure in 2008. The ESA, beyond its responsibilities of putting on E3, is the political arm of the industry. It handled the recent reemergence of the gun violence issue, along with the Supreme Court battle and (probably want to forget this part) that whole SOPA thing. Today's announcement adds two very, very wealthy publishers to the group's roster.
Epic job listing outs unannounced 'competitive online action game'
Epic Games is currently working on two projects: the tower defense action game, Fortnite, and another game yet to be unveiled. A job listing calling for a senior systems designer mentions "an unannounced competitive online action game that includes player progression, heavy itemization, and a dynamic economy." The listing, which does not specify platforms, calls for a senior systems designer on both Fortnite and the unannounced game. Last year, Chinese company Tencent Holdings invested $330 million into Epic Games, acquiring a minority stake in the Cary, North Carolina-based studio. Epic Games' most recent game was the Xbox 360 exclusive, Gears of War: Judgment, made by its People Can Fly division.
Trailer shows off China's upcoming Monster Hunters Online
If you've had the urge to slay dinosaurs, dragons, and even giant beavers, you'll have the chance -- if you live in China. The Monster Hunter franchise is expanding into the Chinese market with a free-to-play version called Monster Hunter Online. Along with the aforementioned giant bosses (and plenty of others), the MMO will add more weapons, monsters, and locales to the series. Developed by Tencent Games and Capcom, Monster Hunter Online will be powered by CryEngine 3 instead of Capcom's own engine. How big of a difference does that make? Check out the trailer after the cut and see for yourself.
CryEngine 3-powered Monster Hunter Online headed to China
Capcom and Tencent are working on a new Monster Hunter for the Chinese market – which means that it's a free-to-play MMO for PC. The new Monster Hunter Online also diverges from the rest of the series in that it uses CryEngine 3 instead of one of Capcom's own engines. You can ... really tell.Monster Hunter Online brings new monsters, weapons, and locations to the series, with the familiar quest-oriented gameplay and giant boss battles. Tencent will begin testing the game in June. And just like that, Capcom is saved![Thanks, Szczesny and Mike!]
Call of Duty now Online in China, monetization not ready yet
An alpha version of Call of Duty Online – the China-exclusive, free-to-play game based on the Activision shooter – is now live, Kotaku reports. Monetization systems for the game (i.e. those sweet, sweet microtransactions) are unavailable in its current form; however, Call of Duty Online is playable in the region.Call of Duty Online was announced by Activision last year and pairs the western publisher with China investment holdings firm Tencent, a company that offers social networks, e-commerce, multiplayer online games and more within the country.China has a rich history with freemium video game experiences, including Tencent's own hugely successful Cross Fire. But if a brand as large as Call of Duty strikes gold in China, we may see other popular franchises form-fitted to work in the region's microtransaction-focused industry.
Over 20 minutes of ArcheAge gameplay on display in new vids
Looking to change the world? You can in ArcheAge according to a couple of new videos released this week for China's Tencent Games Festival 2012. Both clips are in Chinese, but you can still get a good sense of the diverse gameplay on offer in XLGAMES' fantasy sandbox. The first video is an eight-minute affair that shows off everything from housing to farming to rearing cattle and sieging castles. The second clip was taken from a Tencent demo station and features nearly 15 minutes of random gameplay. See them both in their entirety after the break.
ArcheAge Chinese beta begins May 2013
Yesterday, we brought you the new ArcheAge trailer that XLGAMES originally planned to debut at the Tencent Games Carnival 2012; lucky for us, it released early. Today, we can see the entire live stage presentation the studio put on at the carnival. In addition to the trailer, attendees were treated to costumed actors representing four different classes and at least two different races plus live music and additional gameplay footage. Next, XLGAMES devs took the stage, and using the names of registered fans in China for the countdown, they announced that the Chinese beta will begin in May 2013. Sadly, there are no subtitles for those of us not fluent in Chinese, but feel free to share if you can translate, and check out the full presentation after the break.
Sina Weibo exceeds 400 million users, sees increasing mobile traffic
Microblogging site Sina Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, reported a pretty dazzling statistic in its third quarter results: it now boasts over 400 million registered users. We can't be sure how many are active, of course, but it's still a vast number considering appeal is localized to the People's Republic. It also means Sina is winning the popularity contest with social media competitor Tencent, although it humbly acknowledges their services are somewhat different. The company's platform is still evolving, and it's only recently seen mobile usage exceed computers, so is shifting product focus accordingly. Sina's obviously doing something right, and that suits us just fine -- keep those news bites and juicy leaks coming.
New ArcheAge China videos profile Hariharan race
ArcheAge is preparing for a sixth closed beta phase in China, apparently because of challenges inherent in localizing the Korean sandbox for a foreign market. To gear up for the testing, publisher Tencent has put together a "racial week" highlighted by a trio of new gameplay trailers. The first is a very brief intro clip, followed by two longer videos that offer extensive looks at the game's Hariharan (i.e., human) race and its native territory. All three videos are viewable after the cut. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Take-Two, Tencent collaboration 'NBA 2K Online' launches Oct. 24 in China
NBA 2K Online, the free-to-play NBA simulation created for China by 2K in conjunction with Tencent Games, will launch on October 24. The game went into beta this past June and is the first major release in China for Take-Two, which announced plans for this initiative back in 2009.The release date of an online sportsball game in China isn't the interesting part here, so much as the context. Tencent Holdings Limited has become quite the player over the past three years since Take-Two's plans were first announced. There's Tencent's relationship with Activision over Call of Duty Online, its acquisition of Riot Games and, most interestingly, its minority interest in Unreal Engine's lord and master Epic Games.
Tencent and TCL unveil Ice Screen: a 26-inch Android-based smart TV
Chinese web titan Tencent and TCL Multimedia have torn the wraps off the Ice Screen, a jointly developed 26-inch smart TV with a 1,366 x 768 display that allows users to browse the web, access videos, music and games through QQ services. Under the hood, the Android-powered television houses a dual-core Cortex A9 1GHz processor, a Mali 400 GPU, 4GB of RAM and support for a memory card of up to 32GB in size. An IR remote and an app for devices sporting version 2.2 or higher of Google's OS can be used to control the tube, which can sit horizontally or vertically in its stand. On the connectivity front, the panel packs Wi-Fi, a pair of USB ports, HDMI and a 3.5mm headphone jack. You can plunk down ¥1,999 (roughly $315) for an online pre-order before its September 3rd launch. More details await in the press release after the jump.
Tencent reveals how it gets users to pay for its service
We've all seen those "OMG! Don't make us pay for Facebook" fake petitions, but App.net and The Social Network raise questions about how our social services raise their moolah. Tencent's Sophia Ong has revealed that it's in the unique position of having users happy to pay for services that we take for granted. While signups for QZone (Facebook equivalent) is free, users have to use QBs, the site's virtual currency, to buy and clothe their avatars. While 1 QB = 1 yuan ($0.16), there are 30 million paying customers on the site -- meaning that the company can count on around $50 million in monthly payments. It's not stopping there either, sensing a slowdown in the local economy, the company has an eye on opening up its eCommerce platform to ensure it can continue to rake in the cash.
Report: Activision stock may rise 50 percent with Pandaria, CoD Online
Activision Blizzard may see its share price increase as much as 50 percent as it prepares to launch the Mists of Pandaria expansion for World of Warcraft and Call of Duty Online in China, financial newsweekly Barron's reports. Activision Blizzard is currently trading at $11.25, after reporting Q2 earnings above expectations but below the previous year, bringing in $1.08 billion.Investors expect shares could reach a high of $17 due to Mists of Pandaria's launch in September and Activision's partnership with Chinese Internet provider Tencent Holdings to launch the free-to-play game Call of Duty Online, potentially in "mid-2013," Barron's says. The Chinese gaming market generated $7 billion and included 160 million gamers in 2011, and is expected to grow by 20 percent this year to cash in more than $9 million in 2014.Activision Blizzard's shares have fallen 10 percent this year, while the broad market has gained 11 percent. Parent company Vivendi was looking to sell its 61 percent stake in Activision Blizzard earlier this year, but it appears those efforts have shifted focus.
IGDA executive director resigns, joins China's Tencent
Gordon Bellamy, the (now former) executive director of the International Game Developers Association, has stepped away from the post to join Tencent, the popular Chinese online social service. Bellamy will remain on the IGDA's board (where he was before he took the executive director post), but will step away from day-to-day operations. Dustin Clingman, the current board chair, will take over in the interim until a new director can be found.Tencent runs a number of popular online social and gaming services in China (including the world's largest online community, QQ), and has recently been putting together a collection of ties to major Western gaming companies. Bellamy's Twitter account now lists him as the Director of Business Development and Industry Relations at Tencent. According to his recent tweets, he's "excited for Tencent" and is "looking forward to working with the world."
See Call of Duty Online in action (spoilers: it looks like Call of Duty!)
You'll be shocked to hear this, we know, but Activision and Tencent's just announced, free-to-play Call of Duty game, Call of Duty Online, looks an awful lot like a Call of Duty multiplayer game. Take a peek for yourself above.
CoD goes to China with 'Call of Duty Online,' from Activision and Tencent
Activision, partnering with Chinese game company Tencent, is launching a free-to-play Call of Duty shooter in the Chinese market, the companies revealed this morning. "Call of Duty Online" is the name, but beyond that little is known – the image above is from the game's teaser site, and the site contains no other information (unless you're into reading legalese, that is).That said, after two years of hearing about such a game, we've got some ideas of what it might be. For instance, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said back in 2010 that Activision had "dedicated teams in these new markets creating content for the audiences that, to date, have only been satisfied by Blizzard games." Kotick said that the new CoD game would leverage CoD's "fantasy of being a soldier," which he said is a shared global sentiment, regardless of cultural differences. Today's news also makes those Activision URL registrations a lot more logical, eh?Tencent apparently has the "exclusive license" to run Call of Duty Online in China, and Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is "very excited" about the game's prospects.Update: A press release about the game says it "will capitalize on the rich multiplayer experience that the Call of Duty franchise is known for," and that it will also implement, "a new gaming model designed specifically for the Chinese market." Said model sounds like the game's free-to-play microtransaction system. "Using an in-game store, players can enhance their weapons, gear, and perks built specifically for the Chinese market," the release reads. Apparently the game is more than just online play, with "an original story told through a series of Special Operations missions based on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare universe."
Epic's Mike Capps on opening the door to Tencent and its 'unparalleled expertise' in China
Epic Games announced yesterday it sold a minority interest in the company to China's Tencent Holdings. It was the first time in 21 years the Unreal Engine creator and Gears of War and Infinity Blade developer accepted outside investment."We've always taken pride in being an independent developer of fun games and cutting-edge technology," Epic Games president Mike Capps said in prepared statements about why the company took a major investment deal after such a long time. "We want to assure our players and licensees that this transaction only brings more to the table in terms of what we can offer them.""Epic has worked with Tencent for years through our Unreal Engine licensing relationship," Capps added. "They have fantastic inroads into attractive markets and platforms, and Epic has been carefully weighing its options for the next generation of games for quite some time. We can learn a lot from Tencent, and strategically aligning with them was an easy decision."Capps explained that Epic will maintain all intellectual property rights and maintain the Unreal Engine licensing business. He wouldn't comment if this is just the prelude to a full buyout. Capps makes no secret of Tencent being a long-term partner, but notes Epic enjoys its independence.
