Success of Fantasy Westward Journey Reinforces NetEase's Position as China's Leading Game Company

BEIJING, April 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Just two hours after NetEase released the mobile version of Fantasy Westward Journey on March 26, 2015, the title had reached number one spot on the top free games chart, further highlighting NetEase's position as China's leading online games company.  

Based on the hugely successful PC release that has attracted 310 million registered users over the last ten years, the 'Fantasy Westward Craze' quickly propelled NetEase's latest smash hit to number one spot in the top free apps and top grossing apps charts, in addition to being the top grossing app on the iPhone.

The success of Fantasy Westward Journey comes as a result of NetEase capitalizing on the boom in the mobile gaming market, including in the 2013 releases of multiple top-quality titles. At the end of 2013, following years of successful partnership with Blizzard Entertainment (with World of Warcraft, StarCraft II and Diablo III as licensed titles) NetEase successfully obtained the license for Hearthstone, Blizzard Entertainment's free-to-play online strategy card game, while in March 2015 the company successfully licensed Facebook's Game of the Year, Cookie Jam, and F1 Race Stars.

Whether developed in-house or licensed, NetEase products have been recognized by the entire industry and consumers everywhere to embody NetEase's guiding principle of 'quality' which has been reflected in the company's most successful financial results to date.

Q4 earnings in 2014 saw a sharp increase in online gaming and advertising revenue as well as an increase in profits. NetEase's total revenues in 2014 reached $2.0 billion, a year-on-year increase of 27.7% and 2014 net profits rose 7% year-on-year to $767 million. Buoyed by the excellent results, NetEase shares rose 7.4%, peaking at $116.23 and with sales reaching RMB9.815 billion ($1.582 billion) in 2014, contributing 78.6% of total revenue, online gaming can be considered NetEase's core business.

The combination of NetEase's robust R&D capabilities, excellent reputation for quality games, and lengthy experience in operations has led the company to become the most valuable and trustworthy partner in China for overseas developers.  

About NetEase

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Guangzhou, China, NetEase (NASDAQ: NTES) has built on years of trust and experience to establish its leading position in domestic markets through the development of Internet applications, services and other technologies. With a core business focused on the online gaming industry and by putting users first and adhering to its core principles of quality, honesty and superior gameplay, NetEase continues to draw the world's attention to China, helping new companies to access the huge potential of the 1.3 billion-strong market.  

SOURCE NetEase