Sign In

Simon Zhu

Investment/partnership/strategy/globalization chief@ NetEase Games

Simon Zhu is a prominent figure in the gaming industry, currently serving as the President of Global Investments and Partnerships at NetEase Games. Based in the Greater Seattle Area, he oversees strategy, investment, globalization, and key partnerships for the company. Zhu has been instrumental in expanding NetEase's global presence and fostering collaborations with top talent and studios worldwide.13

Career Highlights

  • NetEase Games:
    • President of Global Investments and Partnerships (July 2022–Present).
    • Previously served as Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnership (2012–2016), where he played a key role in launching games like Minecraft in China and developing VR, IP, and publishing initiatives.12
    • Led efforts to diversify NetEase's game portfolio with titles like Onmyoji Arena and Identity V, achieving significant success outside China.2
  • Independent Board Roles:
    • Served as an Independent Board Director for Bungie (2018–2022) and Devolver Digital (2018–2021), contributing to strategic growth in the gaming sector.1
  • Other Roles:
    • Co-founded and served as CEO of BitMovio, a blockchain-based video entertainment platform.5

Education

Simon Zhu holds a Bachelor's degree in Micro-electronics Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He also attended Wuhan Foreign Languages School, reflecting his bilingual proficiency in English and Chinese.1

Industry Contributions

Zhu emphasizes collaboration and innovation, often stating his goal to "unleash potential" and "make the pie bigger together." He has been pivotal in NetEase's strategic shift toward creating internal studios and fostering partnerships with independent developers globally, despite challenges like overseas investment restrictions.234

Highlights

Apr 10 · linkedin

Finally, I am gaining back my battlenet account that carries ten thousand hours of fun!

All the decisions should be made around what is the best for the players, games and developers. That is the fundamental of gaming industry. Thanks for Phil Spencer Ken Wee Johanna Faries and may other people’s trust in us and big care for the blizzard players’ community in China.

Jan 24 · linkedin

Sharing some very touching videos from the community. What a tragic and sad moment.

  1. When the NPCs in games saying goodbye to you: https://lnkd.in/ghC7pMsD

  2. The last game for Hearthstone streamers right before the shut down: https://lnkd.in/gxq44gMY

  3. The last video of a collection of best Hearthstone games of the week, saying goodbye: https://lnkd.in/g_PrKFVb

Below is the photo of a young hero whose name is HongYu Wu. He was an OW player and made his ultimate sacrifice when he fought against criminals in Guangzhou. We believe in 'the world need more heroes', and he had his second life in an OW map LiJiang Tower. His story inspired millions of people and that is how we remember him. With the servers shutdown, it is diffifcult to see him in the game, but he will never be in oblivion. Heroes never die

My thoughts below 👇👇

Related Questions

What are some of the key partnerships Simon Zhu has formed at NetEase Games?
How did Simon Zhu contribute to the success of Minecraft in China?
What strategies has Simon Zhu implemented for NetEase Games' globalization efforts?
Can you provide examples of the new genres NetEase Games has entered under Simon Zhu's leadership?
What is Simon Zhu's background in micro-electronics engineering and how does it influence his role at NetEase Games?
Simon Zhu
Simon Zhu, photo 1
Simon Zhu, photo 2
Add to my network

Location

Greater Seattle Area