Well, this could be huge. Mojang has announced, through a partnership with NetEase, that they are set to release Minecraft in China.
They’ll launch both the pocket and PC versions of the game, with aims to develop a version of Minecraft “tailored for the Chinese market.” What that means beyond simple language localization, I’m not sure.
Jonas Martensson, CEO of Mojang, offered this in regards to the news.
“We’ll always embrace opportunities to bring Minecraft to new players around the world, widening our community, and giving us a new perspective on our game…
…NetEase understand our long-term vision for Minecraft and support Mojang’s ideals, so we’re delighted to have them on board. We look forward to welcoming China’s builders and adventurers to the world of Minecraft.”
While it certainly won’t affect the world beyond China, the Minecraft brand is potentially set to become that much more massive. China is an enormous market, and if NetEase can tackle publishing the game just right, this could be a ridiculous source of income for Mojang and parent company Microsoft.
