NetEase Games' Investments and Partnerships Chief Simon Zhu Exits

Simon Zhu, President of Global Investments and Partnerships at NetEase Games, has announced his departure from the Chinese video game company after twelve years of service.

This exit marks the latest in a series of high-profile departures following a period of investment pullback led by founder and CEO William Ding.

In a heartfelt LinkedIn post on Friday, Zhu reflected on his time at NetEase, saying, "I'm closing this chapter with the same passion that has driven me from day one." He expressed his love for the gaming industry and his belief that its future depends on creators who are given freedom to innovate.

During his 12-year tenure, Zhu oversaw NetEase's global first-party studios and made significant investments in notable gaming companies. His accomplishments include bringing Minecraft to China, which gained over 400 million registered users, and building a gaming investment portfolio worth approximately $3 billion USD.

This portfolio included successful investments in companies like Thatgamecompany (developer of Sky: Children of the Light), Niantic (developer of Pokémon Go), Devolver Digital (publisher of Fall Guys), and Bungie (maker of Destiny).

Ken Li, a NetEase veteran since 2003, will be taking Zhu's place. Li has an impressive track record, having secured important deals with Blizzard, including exclusive rights to Warcraft III and StarCraft II in China. He also helped launch World of Warcraft in China, which peaked at 5 million daily active users—representing 40% of the game's global player base.

Zhu's departure is not isolated. NetEase has recently lost several other key employees from its games division. According to Bloomberg, Matthew Weissinger, who handled publishing for NetEase's in-house studios in North America, left in late March. Matthew Liu, one of the company's marketing leads for global mobile games publishing, also departed this month.

The company is undergoing changes at some of its most profitable games as well. In April, Jin Tao, producer of the popular game Onmyoji, announced plans to refocus on the game's long-term operation after years spent developing new IP for the eight-year-old franchise. As part of this shift, Jin intends to reduce staff on underperforming teams.

These departures come amid reports that CEO Ding has been cutting jobs and reducing investments in new games to increase profits. Bloomberg reported in February that NetEase has shut down or halted work at several recently established studios, including Ouka in Japan, Worlds Untold in Canada, and Jar of Sparks in the US.