Bilibili ratchets up China gaming drive with publishing rights for Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

Developed by British firm Mediatronic, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout could become the first non-anime-style hit game to be published by Bilibili

Shanghai-based Bilibili plans to release 11 new games over the next several months

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Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, developed by British video game developer Mediatronic, enables up to 60 players to compete in a three-dimensional field with battle royale-style gameplay. Photo: Handout

Published: 5:15am, 25 Aug 2020Updated: 7:27am, 25 Aug 2020

Online entertainment platform Bilibili recently beat Chinese video game industry leaders Tencent Holdings and NetEase to obtain the domestic publishing rights for global hit battle royale game Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout – expanding the gaming ambition of the fast-growing service with a loyal fan base.

Shanghai-based Bilibili – whose platform offers a wide array of genres and media formats, including videos, live broadcasting and mobile games – is expected to publish a mobile version of the title in the world’s largest video games market, according to a company announcement on Monday.

Founded in 2009, Bilibili has become the biggest video-comics-and-gaming entertainment platform for China’s fast-growing Generation Z market segment, made up of consumers born between 1990 and 2009. Membership in the platform entails passing a 100-question test.

“If Fall Guys has a successful China release, this would be Bilibili’s first breakout hit that is not an anime-style game,” said analyst Liao Xuhua of Beijing-based research firm Analysys International. “This would help broaden gamers’ understanding of Bilibili’s brand.”

Bilibili on Monday declined to comment on the expectations for Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, but said more titles will be released, without providing details.

Developed by British video game developer Mediatronic, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout was released on August 4 for Windows-based personal computers and Sony Corp’s PlayStation 4 console. Photo: Handout