The highly popular sandbox video game "Minecraft" will finally make its debut on China. The game will make its debut through a partnership with one of China's top video game developer, NetEase.
The partnership was announced last week and will give a NetEase affiliate to officially license the PC and mobile versions of "Minecraft" for a duration of five years. Moreover, "Minecraft" developer Mojang will be responsible for making the necessary tweaks in order to tailor the game for the Chinese gaming community.
The companies involved in the deal did not confirm the official release date of the game in China. Additionally, no information was released regarding how the profits will be divided between the companies involved.
In a statement acquired by CNN, Mojang chief executive officer Jonas Martensson said, "We'll always embrace opportunities to bring Minecraft to new players around the world. NetEase understands our long-term vision for Minecraft and supports Mojang's ideals."
Many market analysts consider the latest deal to be a major one for Mojang, a company acquired by tech giant Microsoft for a record $2.5 billion, according to USA Today. China is a huge Internet and gaming market which will surely boost the already massive user-base of "Minecraft." Latest statistics reveal that China has about 705 million Internet users, and this massive potential user-base is what "Minecraft" is aiming to tap.
For many market analysts, partnering with NetEase is the best possible scenario for Mojang, especially with China's unique business and regulatory rules. With the deal, Mojang can continue focusing on improving the game while at the same time let NetEase take of all any distribution issue.
In China, NetEase is major player in the video game market following the successful release and massive user base of the mobile game "Meng Huan Xi You." The game is based on a legend which was turned into a novel.
"Minecraft" is a sandbox video game that allows players to gather resources and use it to create structures. Despite the game's 8-bit graphics, it was a huge success and now boasts more than 100 million registered users.
Below is a video highlighting the new crossover game between two equally successful franchises, "Minecraft Super Mario Edition."