Marvel has partnered with internet giant NetEase to distribute the mobile combat game Marvel: Contest of Champions in the Chinese market.
NetEase has video games in its DNA, and is China’s second-largest gaming company behind Tencent, making it a suitable partner for Marvel. The Chinese company earned USD 6.2 billion (RMB 42.9 billion) in gaming revenue in 2018, making it the seventh biggest gaming company worldwide, according to Newzoo estimates.
Meanwhile, the record-breaking success of the Avengers movie franchise in China creates an exciting opportunity for Marvel to translate its box office success into the gaming arena. Avengers: Endgame, the studio’s latest release, brought in USD 100 million on its opening day in China, the highest windfall in the country’s box office history.
Marvel said this exclusive gaming partner would be the first in a host of tie-ups with NetEase, and that more joint projects, including in film and TV, would be announced later this year.