Former NetEase executive Simon Zhu has launched a new holding company, GreaterThan Group (GTG), securing $40 million in funding and approximately $60 million in additional commitments.
GTG’s first investments are three studios: Arcanaut Studios in Edmonton, BulletFarm in Los Angeles, and MAGship in Tokyo.
Arcanaut Studios is headed by Casey Hudson, game director of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Mass Effect trilogy. Arcanaut’s debut title, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, was announced at The Game Awards 2025.
BulletFarm is overseen by David Vonderhaar, former studio design director at Treyarch. The studio is in the early stages of developing a new first-person multiplayer/co-operative title.
MAGship is led by Masato Saki, a former Konami executive at the height of Yu-Gi-Oh’s international expansion. The company invests in Japanese anime projects, “which form a core pillar of GTG’s overall IP strategy.”
GTG is co-owned by the founding teams of each studio, aligning incentives by granting leadership both individual studio ownership and shared equity in GTG.
Zhu has not disclosed specific investors due to privacy, but told Bloomberg they are gaming and tech entrepreneurs. GTG is also collaborating with other creators to incubate “innovative projects.”
GTG aims to address game development challenges by offering “full funding, end-to-end support, and autonomy,” enabling studios to focus on delivering games that “leave a legacy.”
“GTG is bringing common sense back to the games industry,” said Zhu.
“We’re refocusing on the fundamentals: gaming is first and foremost entertainment. Our job is to give players what they truly want. Great games have always come from the authentic self-expression of their talented creators.”
Zhu continued: “Making good games has become increasingly challenging in the modern era of game development. Our role is to create the right conditions for creators to work on their dream projects, so they can devote the vast majority of their time and energy building their game, free from unnecessary distractions. That’s the proven formula behind most of the greatest games ever made.”
Before founding GTG, Zhu served as president of global investments and partnerships at NetEase. He stepped down last year after the firm reduced investments in several studios, including BulletFarm.
While at NetEase, Zhu led investments in titles such as Sky: Children of the Light, Marvel Snap, and Fall Guys, and facilitated Minecraft’s entry into the Chinese market.
