It would appear that Improbable, the company behind SpatialOS, is hedging its bets on China. Improbable announced that it will be working with Tencent to bring SpatialOS to China via Tencent Cloud and will also be launching a developer program to help Chinese game devs use the tech.
According to the announcement, SpatialOS’ tools for game development can be utilized to reduce “risks” that Chinese game developers face. In order to further empower multiplayer game devs, Improbable and Tencent are releasing a Developer Program which will provide support and technical services up to the value of $10M. This program is open to devs using SpatialOS and running on Tencent Cloud, whether those devs are in China or making games outside of the region specifically for the Chinese market.
Improbable peppers the importance of China throughout the announcement, styling the Chinese market as not only vital to Improbable’s own future but for the future of games development as a whole. “Not only is China a market of vital strategic importance for Improbable, but I have personally witnessed the great quality of developers here,” said CEO of Improbable Asia’s Peter Lipka. “I am very excited to work closely with Tencent Cloud to help Chinese game developers bring their games to life using SpatialOS.”
Improbable’s further push into China is likely not a surprise to those paying attention; the company received a large chunk of investment capital from NetEase and an an even larger one from Japanese telecom corporation SoftBank, which put one of SoftBank’s members on Improbable’s board as well as a non-controlling stake in the company.
Readers will also recall that Improbable has had a roller coaster life here in the West, which was marred by issues that ultimately helped in the shutdown of games like sandbox MMO Worlds Adrift and large-scale battle royale title Mavericks. We’ve collected some of those highlights in the list below.
