Sony Investing Further In Chinese Development Program That Found Games Like Genshin Impact
Sony is investing more resources in Chinese video game developers and is planning to re-launch the China Hero project that was paused for the time being due to COVID-19.
According to Reuters, Sony is going to expand its program to incubate game development in China in order to beat out other competitors such as Microsoft. Sony director of Chinese game production Bao Bo notes that the program will invest more than 1 million yuan, or approximately $140,080, into each game and fund development teams of all sizes.
As part of the China Hero Project, Sony will be publishing the Final Fantasy XV-inspired action RPG, Lost Soul Aside, as well as the multiplayer third-person shooter title Convallaria. Both games will be available for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
Outside of the China Hero Project Sony found a smashing success in Genshin Impact, which it received an exclusivity deal with. Microsoft reportedly regretted missing out on making Genshin Impact an Xbox exclusive, so in response, Microsoft now has reportedly been trying to scout for more Chinese video game developers to work with and is looking to entice them with large Xbox Game Pass offers.
Some games from the China Hero Project have already been released, such as Anno Munitionem and F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch.
"The scale of the third season will far exceed the previous two," says Bao.
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He's been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.
When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey
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