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NetEase acquires Halo Infinite co-developer SkyBox Labs

The second largest gaming company in China, NetEase, recently acquired Canadian developer SkyBox Labs.

Morgan Shaver

January 6, 2023 11:35 AM

343 Industries

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China’s second largest gaming company, NetEase, has acquired Canadian developer SkyBox Labs. For those unfamiliar with the company’s work, SkyBox Labs has served as a co-developer on popular titles like Halo Infinite. It has also supported the development of Fallout 76 in addition to working on projects in the Minecraft universe, as noted on the developer’s website.

“Over the last decade, we've had the pleasure to work on beloved games such as Halo Infinite, Minecraft, and Fallout 76. We remain committed to growing our presence in Canada, supporting our current and future partners, and co-developing more AAA games for some of the biggest game studios around the world,” SkyBox Labs co-founder Shyang Kong stated in the press release.

“We have built a team of talented individuals who are passionate and creative, and by joining NetEase Games, we will also be able to accelerate our plans to pursue new creative opportunities, and enjoy access to world-class operational resources and the full breadth and depth of NetEase’s services so we can scale faster in Canada.”

As pointed out by outlets like CNBC, neither NetEase nor SkyBox have disclosed the financial terms of the acquisition deal. That said, it was confirmed that SkyBox will continue to operate independently under NetEase with NetEase looking to support the studio with “resources and execution capabilities” so that the studio is able to achieve “faster scale while maintaining the quality of work” that the studio is known for.

SkyBox Labs isn’t the only recent acquisition by NetEase as back in 2022 it purchased Quantic Dream while also remarking on how it’d established various gaming studios in the U.S. and Japan. For more on the acquisition of Skybox Labs by NetEase, be sure to read through the full, official press release.

For more on NetEase, also check out some of our previous coverage including how Blizzard and NetEase were facing the suspension of game services in China near the end of 2022, and how Nagoshi Studio wants its first game with NetEase to be like a Tarantino film.

Morgan Shaver

Senior Editor

Morgan is a writer from the frozen wastelands of Maine who enjoys metal music, kpop, horror, and indie games. They're also a Tetris fanatic who's fiercely competitive in games like Tetris 99... and all games in general. But mostly Tetris. You can follow Morgan on Twitter @Author_MShaver.