Yodo1, a publishing platform, has announced it has raised $2 million seed funding from Chang You Fund to help its plans bring Western developed games for Android and iOS games to the Chinese market. They also announced a partnership with Robot Entertainment to bring its iOS title, Hero Academy, to China, with a new Chinese-specific race for the game featuring Shaolin monks and other characters tailored for the region.
“Western smartphone games have huge potential in China, but most Western developers don’t know how to monetize this market,” said Yodo1 CEO Henry Fong. “For example, Chinese gamers can spend a lot of money on virtual items and showcase these items to other players; that’s very different from the Western market where gamers may not want others to know they are spending to get an in-game advantage.”
“Hero Academy gets more downloads in China than in any country except the U.S., even before Yodo1 helped localize it,” said Robot Entertainment CEO Patrick Hudson. “By adapting the game for Chinese players, we can deliver Hero Academy to a much larger audience in China. We chose Yodo1 for this work because they have a deep understanding of the Chinese gaming culture, are very trustworthy with our game design and IP, and have a full appreciation for what makes Hero Academy unique and fun.”
