Youzu Interactive recently announced its 2015 second quarter and half year financial results. Revenue for overseas markets reached USD 48.3 million, with 162.57% year-on-year growth. Overseas revenue accounted for 50% of total revenue for the first half year of over USD 104.65 million before the impact of exchange rates. Its integrated game platform, GTArcade, saw a sharp rise and this rapid growth will further consolidate the leading position of Youzu Interactive in terms of overseas title publishing.
Since it was established in 2009, Youzu Interactive has focused on the global mobile and browser game development and distribution market. After reported revenue of USD 135.24 million in 2014, chairman and CEO of Youzu Interactive Lin Qi says investment in GTArcade has been increased considerably in 2015. Lin Qi explained, “GTArcade’s main purpose is to bring great Chinese and Asian games into western markets, offering adaptation and operation strategy to developers wanting to enter the Chinese market while at the same time providing more game options for players all over the world. We have paid close attention to the global market and have been increasing the rate at which we publish our mobile titles.”
Improving the quality of its titles is one of GTArcade’s core strategies and Youzu Interactive has been committed to higher quality games for all players regardless of where in the world they are. Three mobile and browser games, League of Angels, Magerealm and Knight’s Fable, all developed by Youzu, and Spirit Guardian, for which Youzu is the distributor, have already been released on the platform in over 100 countries covering North America, Europe and Southeast Asia.
Youzu’s self-developed browser game League of Angels has successfully launched 20 language versions. In order to adapt to local users’ habits, the game has continued to adapt its battle modes and pet system based on operation experiences and player feedback; in 2014, the game was awarded “Best New Game” by Facebook for its commitment to improving game quality and player experience. In addition, its mobile game version officially launched around the world in 2015 and ranked highly on iOS games charts in 88 countries. To make the game more accessible to players, League of Angels plans to launch its German and French versions in August.
Despite product improvement, operation enhancement is also a crucial tactic for Youzu Interactive to bring its games to the world. According to Lin Qi, Youzu Interactive will cooperate with over 40 business partners to develop South American, Middle Eastern and further markets in the future. “Through the GTArcade, our operation network could be integrated to share our knowledge and resources to the industry worldwide,” he said.
Cooperation with other partners remains important within the global strategy for Youzu Interactive, which has been improved since Youzu Interactive signed a JBP contract with Google. Youzu Interactive is also seeking an agreement with vertical advertisers, media and platforms and Lin Qi predicts that the alliance between Youzu and other large enterprises will promote its global publishing strategy and change the global game market as a result.
Lin Qi further emphasized the ultimate aim of settling the platform and striving for business cooperation is to encourage gamers worldwide to join in the fun, stating, “We are not concerned for temporary gains or losses but for a brighter future of global entertainment.”
“Youzu operates not only in the games sector but also in other cultural industries including films,” continued Lin Qi, who also acts as chairman of Yoozoo Film. “We are sticking to our global strategies and at the same time possessing proven IP strategies to generate a pan-entertainment chain that connects games and movies for our audience, so that they can enjoy an unparalleled entertainment experience in different ways through various platforms.”
Source: Youzu
