CCP has ended its arrangement with Tiancity, the previous publisher handling EVE Online’s Serenity server, and penned a deal with NetEase to keep the online game up and running in China going forward.
A partnership with a local company is essentially required for a game to launch in China, and NetEase itself is no stranger to managing online games in the region. The company notably handles the Chinese release of Minecraft and has invested in companies like Bungie and the indie studio Jumpship just recently as well.
While Tiancity had handled EVE Online’s affairs in China since the sever’s launch in 2012, CCP noted in a blog post yesterday that members of the company had been speaking with other Chinese businesses to evaluate its possible next steps for EVE Online in the region.
CCP notes that its dealings with Tiancity will officially end on September 30, 2018. After that point, NetEase will take charge of EVE Online’s China-only Serenity server and help CCP manage in-game events and future content additions.