NetEase has published its financial results for 2025, reporting a 6.9% rise in overall revenue to RMB 112.6 billion ($16.1 billion).
Revenue for its gaming segment reached RMB 92.1 billion ($13.2 billion), up 10.1% from RMB 83.6 billion ($12.1 billion) in 2024.
Online games made up 97.3% of the segment’s revenue for the year, driven by higher net sales from Fantasy Westward Journey Online, Identity V, Where Winds Meet, and Marvel Rivals.
In the fourth quarter, NetEase recorded RMB 22 billion ($3.1 billion) in revenue from its gaming segment, marking 3.4% year-on-year growth. Overall revenue reached RMB 27.5 billion ($3.9 billion), a 3% increase year-on-year.
The firm attributed this to higher sales of Fantasy Westward Journey Online, Marvel Rivals, and Everstone Studios’ Where Winds Meet. It noted that its established franchises “sustained strong engagement” across the quarter, with Where Winds Meet surpassing 80 million cumulative players worldwide.
NetEase also achieved “record-high annual revenue” of Blizzard titles in China by maintaining “enriched content and localised experiences.”
Elsewhere, the publisher outlined its stance on AI integration, announcing it had “achieved comprehensive integration of AI across the full game development and innovation game cycle” in areas including art, design, programming, animation, and quality assurance.”
NetEase said AI will strengthen “high volume, scalable production” to enable “the smooth rollout of dynamic, AI-native gameplay features in multiple flagship titles.”
“We concluded 2025 with another healthy quarter, reflecting the durability of our long-term game operations and the growing impact of our global titles,” said NetEase CEO and director William Ding.
“AI has become a foundational competency for our development and operations. We have been systematically applying AI throughout game development and gameplay, where it is already driving meaningful improvement in production efficiency and unlocking new interactive experiences for our players that were previously out of reach.”
Ding continued: “Looking ahead, we remain focused on delivering exceptional experiences across the NetEase family of businesses. By fostering a creative talent ecosystem, deepening collaboration with partners worldwide and thoughtfully advancing our AI-application capabilities, we aim to further extend the longevity of our franchises while continuing to deliver innovative experiences to create even greater value for our global players and shareholders alike.”
