Creating World-class IP with Warner Bros
Founded in 2009, YOOZOO Games Co. Ltd. ("YOOZOO Games") is a leading global provider of interactive entertainment. Headquartered in Shanghai, YOOZOO Games uses big data, globalisation and high-quality products to achieve integrated development across four major arenas: globalised game R&D and publishing, IP management, big data and intelligent technology, and investment in the pan-entertainment industry.
So far, YOOZOO Games has successfully launched many popular titles, such as League of Angels, Junior Three Kingdoms, and Legacy of Discord - Furious Wings, creating a "YOOZOO phenomenon", where self-developed products have a success rate of over 90%.
As well as product development, YOOZOO Games has put great effort into continuously driving business model innovation. YOOZOO Games' engagement with the film industry has led to the creation of a "film-game integration" operating model, which has received significant attention from global markets. During ChinaJoy 2017, YOOZOO Games announced that the company and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment ("WB Interactive") had entered into a strategic partnership, and would jointly develop a mobile game adapted from the classic TV drama Game of Thrones. This is the first time that YOOZOO Games has obtained the adaptation and publishing rights for a game from the overseas market, based on IP that was a huge global success.
Picture: Promotional poster for Game of Thrones (Season 7)
Game of Thrones is a classic American drama adapted from A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin. The "settling" of this global first-rate IP in Shanghai marks a shift in YOOZOO Games' development strategy, from IP "exports" to "imports". Since it was founded, YOOZOO Games has established branches in Nanjing, Taipei, Singapore, and other cities, and publishes its games in over 150 countries and regions. Prior to Game of Thrones, YOOZOO Games brought some well-known Chinese IP to market, such as The Lost Tomb, The Three-Body Problem and The Legend of the Condor Heroes, for multi-dimensional development. The introduction of Game of Thrones through its partnership with WB Interactive marks a breakthrough for YOOZOO Games' IP globalization strategy, as well as for its "game-film integration" model.
Picture: Press conference on the strategy of WB Interactive and YOOZOO Games
Steven Chiang, Executive Vice-President of Worldwide Production and Studios at WB Interactive, is very optimistic about the partnership, saying, "YOOZOO Games really understands the fans of IP titles, and also the development of fantasy games, and it has a wealth of experience, with remarkable performance across the world. I look forward to the exciting entertainment experience YOOZOO Games will deliver for Game of Thrones. Until now, partnerships between American TV drama publishers and their Chinese counterparts have focused on brand and market cooperation; while YOOZOO Games and WB Interactive will focus on producing a state-of-the-art gaming product to further expand the influence of the IP.