News

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba invests $145 million in new global mobile game distribution venture

Partners with four studios for Global Strategic Alliance of Game Distribution

Date Type Companies involved Size
March 17th, 2017 investment Alibaba $145m
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba invests $145 million in new global mobile game distribution venture

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is looking to shake up the mobile game distribution business with its new arm Alibaba Games.

The distribution service has already had one billion yuan ($144.7 million) invested into it to get started. The service will operate in partnership with Mail.ru Group, TFJoy, Efun and ONEMT.

The five companies will operate as a "Global Strategic Alliance of Game Distribution". It aims to improve mobile game distribution worldwide and help games enter other territories outside of their local regions.

Uneven markets

"The development in mobile games market in the 5 biggest international market - Europe and the United States, Japan and South Korea, the Middle East, Latin America and Southeast Asia is uneven," said Simon Shi, President Alibaba Games, Alibaba Digital Media & Entertainment Group.

"European, American, Japanese and South Korean markets are already considered mature markets, while the Middle East in the past two years is seeing rapid development, and Latin America and Southeast Asia as the emerging markets show very high potential in the mobile games consumption."

Alibaba has previously published games in China for Western developers. In August 2014 it signed a deal with Kabam to publish its games in the country.


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