NetEase Inc
NASDAQ:NTES

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NetEase Inc
NASDAQ:NTES
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Price: 136.095 USD -0.56%
Market Cap: 87.7B USD

Q2-2025 Earnings Call

AI Summary
Earnings Call on Aug 14, 2025

Revenue Growth: NetEase reported Q2 revenue of RMB 27.9 billion ($3.9 billion), up 9.4% year-over-year, driven mainly by strong game performance.

Games Segment: Online games revenue reached RMB 22.1 billion, up 15% YoY but down 6% QoQ after the Chinese New Year boost faded. Newly launched titles and established franchises contributed to growth.

Profitability: Gross profit rose 13% YoY to RMB 18.1 billion, with a total gross margin of 64.7%. Non-GAAP net income grew 22% YoY to RMB 9.5 billion ($1.3 billion).

Franchise Strength: Evergreen titles like Fantasy Westward Journey and Identity V broke new user and revenue records, showing continued player engagement.

Global Expansion: Several new global titles, including Marvel Mystic Mayhem and Fragpunk, gained traction with strong international player engagement.

AI & Innovation: The company is investing heavily in AI across both games and other businesses, highlighting AI-driven product launches and operational improvements.

Guidance & Capital Return: The board approved a dividend of $11.4 per share or $0.57 per ADS, and the company has spent $2 billion on share repurchases since 2023.

Games Portfolio Performance

NetEase saw strong growth in its games and related services, with a 14% year-over-year revenue increase in this segment. Newly launched titles such as Marvel Mystic Mayhem and Fragpunk performed well globally, while established franchises like Fantasy Westward Journey and Identity V set new records for user engagement and revenue. Management highlighted the stability and evergreen nature of their leading games and emphasized their strategy of continuous content updates to drive engagement.

Monetization Strategy

Where Winds Meet exceeded expectations in both player activity and monetization, leveraging a cosmetic-only monetization model that management believes supports a sustainable and healthy long-term revenue stream. Other titles, like Once Human, achieved strong results through major content updates and new gameplay modes, indicating effective monetization through both new features and ongoing engagement.

Global Expansion

Several new titles were launched or tested globally, including Marvel Mystic Mayhem, Fragpunk, and Dunk City Dynasty. These games achieved high rankings on international download and revenue charts. Management discussed plans for further global launches and ongoing overseas user growth, emphasizing the value of localizing content and building global operational capability.

AI Investments

NetEase is integrating AI across its businesses, especially in its education platform Youdao and in marketing services. AI is used for product innovation, advertising optimization, and personalized learning tools. Management expressed a long-term commitment to using AI for both operational efficiency and new product experiences, including the future possibility of AI-designed games.

Cost Structure & Margins

Gross margin for the quarter increased to 64.7%. Games delivered a gross margin of 70.2%, up from the prior quarter, helped by a higher proportion of self-developed games. Marketing costs declined as a percentage of revenue (12.8% vs 13.7% last year), while R&D spending remained stable. Cost optimization and higher-margin content contributed to improved profitability.

Capital Allocation

NetEase maintained a strong cash position (RMB 142.1 billion). The board approved a dividend of $11.4 per share ($0.57 per ADS), and the ongoing $5 billion share repurchase program has repurchased $2 billion in ADS as of the call. The company continues to focus on returning capital to shareholders while investing in new titles.

Evergreen Franchises & Content Updates

Titles like Fantasy Westward Journey and Identity V saw renewed growth through continuous updates, collaborations, and new gameplay features. Westward Journey hit a new record of 2.93 million peak concurrent users in August, and Eggy Party benefited from anniversary events and creative content. Management emphasized that ongoing content innovation is key to keeping these franchises relevant and successful.

Revenue
RMB 27.9 billion ($3.9 billion)
Change: Up 9.4% year-over-year.
Games and Related Services Revenue
RMB 22.8 billion
Change: Up 14% year-over-year.
Online Games Revenue
RMB 22.1 billion
Change: Down 6% quarter-over-quarter; up 15% year-over-year.
Youdao Revenue
RMB 1.4 billion
Change: Up 7% year-over-year; up 9% quarter-over-quarter.
NetEase Cloud Music Revenue
RMB 2 billion
Change: Up 6% quarter-over-quarter; down 4% year-over-year.
Innovative Businesses and Others Revenue
RMB 1.7 billion
Change: Up 5% quarter-over-quarter; down 18% year-over-year.
Gross Profit
RMB 18.1 billion
Change: Up 13% year-over-year.
Gross Margin
64.7%
No Additional Information
Games Gross Margin
70.2%
Change: Up from 68.8% last quarter; up from 70% year ago.
Youdao Gross Margin
43%
Change: Down from 48.2% year ago.
NetEase Cloud Music Gross Margin
36.1%
Change: Up from 32.1% year ago.
Innovative Businesses and Others Gross Margin
42.3%
Change: Up from 34% year ago.
Operating Expenses
RMB 9 billion
No Additional Information
Selling and Marketing Expenses as % of Revenue
12.8%
Change: Down from 13.7% year ago.
R&D Expenses as % of Revenue
15.6%
Change: Stable YoY; up from 15.2% last quarter.
Effective Tax Rate
14.7%
No Additional Information
Non-GAAP Net Income
RMB 9.5 billion ($1.3 billion)
Change: Up 22% year-over-year.
Non-GAAP Basic Earnings per ADS
USD 2.8
No Additional Information
Non-GAAP Basic Earnings per Share
USD 0.42
No Additional Information
Net Cash Position
RMB 142.1 billion
Change: Up from RMB 137 billion last quarter.
Dividend per Share
USD 11.4
No Additional Information
Dividend per ADS
USD 0.57
No Additional Information
Share Repurchase (ADS bought since Jan 2023)
22.1 million ADS; $2 billion cost
No Additional Information
Peak Concurrent Users (Fantasy Westward Journey Online)
2.93 million
Change: New record.
Revenue
RMB 27.9 billion ($3.9 billion)
Change: Up 9.4% year-over-year.
Games and Related Services Revenue
RMB 22.8 billion
Change: Up 14% year-over-year.
Online Games Revenue
RMB 22.1 billion
Change: Down 6% quarter-over-quarter; up 15% year-over-year.
Youdao Revenue
RMB 1.4 billion
Change: Up 7% year-over-year; up 9% quarter-over-quarter.
NetEase Cloud Music Revenue
RMB 2 billion
Change: Up 6% quarter-over-quarter; down 4% year-over-year.
Innovative Businesses and Others Revenue
RMB 1.7 billion
Change: Up 5% quarter-over-quarter; down 18% year-over-year.
Gross Profit
RMB 18.1 billion
Change: Up 13% year-over-year.
Gross Margin
64.7%
No Additional Information
Games Gross Margin
70.2%
Change: Up from 68.8% last quarter; up from 70% year ago.
Youdao Gross Margin
43%
Change: Down from 48.2% year ago.
NetEase Cloud Music Gross Margin
36.1%
Change: Up from 32.1% year ago.
Innovative Businesses and Others Gross Margin
42.3%
Change: Up from 34% year ago.
Operating Expenses
RMB 9 billion
No Additional Information
Selling and Marketing Expenses as % of Revenue
12.8%
Change: Down from 13.7% year ago.
R&D Expenses as % of Revenue
15.6%
Change: Stable YoY; up from 15.2% last quarter.
Effective Tax Rate
14.7%
No Additional Information
Non-GAAP Net Income
RMB 9.5 billion ($1.3 billion)
Change: Up 22% year-over-year.
Non-GAAP Basic Earnings per ADS
USD 2.8
No Additional Information
Non-GAAP Basic Earnings per Share
USD 0.42
No Additional Information
Net Cash Position
RMB 142.1 billion
Change: Up from RMB 137 billion last quarter.
Dividend per Share
USD 11.4
No Additional Information
Dividend per ADS
USD 0.57
No Additional Information
Share Repurchase (ADS bought since Jan 2023)
22.1 million ADS; $2 billion cost
No Additional Information
Peak Concurrent Users (Fantasy Westward Journey Online)
2.93 million
Change: New record.

Earnings Call Transcript

Transcript
from 0
Operator

Good day, and welcome to the NetEase Second Quarter 2025 Earnings Conference Call. Today's conference is being recorded. At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Brandi Piacente. Please go ahead.

B
Brandi Piacente

Thank you, operator. Please note that today's discussion will contain forward-looking statements relating to the future performance of the company and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability as established by the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, assumptions and other factors. Some of these risks are beyond the company's control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those mentioned in today's press release and this discussion. A general discussion of the risk factors that could affect NetEase business and financial results is included in certain filings of the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its annual report on Form 20-F and in announcements and filings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's website. The company does not undertake any obligation to update this forward-looking information, except as required by law.

During today's call, management will also discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures for comparison purposes only. For a definition of non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial results, please see the 2025 Second Quarter Earnings News Release issued earlier today. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. In addition, an investor presentation and a webcast replay of this conference call will be available on the NetEase corporate website at ir.netease.com.

Joining us today on the call from NetEase senior management are Mr. William Ding, Chief Executive Officer; and Mr. Bill Peng, Vice President of Corporate Development. I will now turn the call over to Bill, who will read the prepared remarks on William's behalf. Bill?

B
Bill Pang
executive

Thank you, Brandy, and thank you, everyone, for participating in today's call. Before we begin, I would like to remind everyone that all percentages are based on RMB. During the second quarter, we advanced each of our businesses through the development of high-quality and innovative offerings. Total revenues increased 9% year-over-year driven by our diverse portfolio of games. We saw strong player engagement in our established franchises and released new titles that expanded our reach across genres and geographies.

Building on our first quarter year-on-year growth momentum, revenue from our games and related VAS rose 14% in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. As we expand our expertise across more genres, we now offer a diverse range of gaming experiences to players around the world, which we believe lays a solid foundation for our global expansion. In the second quarter, we launched several new global titles, while also extending the reach of our well-known domestic franchises.

Looking first at our newest releases. Our Super Hero Team-Based Technical RPG Marvel Mystic Mayhem on June 25. Game quickly garnered attraction group of players eager to collect iconic superheroes and super billions to battle the nightmare dimension. Its player base quickly surpassed 1 million with the game talking the U.S. dollar chart in multiple regions and ranking #2 in the U.S.

To further the community's excitement we plan to introduce more playable characters and expand the storyline approximately every 6 weeks.

The global release of our tactical shooter game, Fragpunk on Xbox and PlayStation quickly gained traction after its April 29 debut. In May, it reached #2 spot on PlayStations North America free-to-play download chart. Originally launched on PC in March. Fragpunk has been winning our players with this groundbreaking shard card system. Now with the signature blend of strategy and high-octane shooting experience available console. It continues to build momentum.

Our commitment to growing the existing hit has also brought fresh energy to games already resonated with players. Once Human commemorated is annual version 2.0, [indiscernible] with a major content update and a series of exciting announcements. Players were introduced to End the Screen, a new nightmare CMPV scenario that takes them through multiple layers of dreamscapes, offering a fresh take on the apocalyptic world. A new class system was also unveiled featuring three classes, Chef, Gunner and Beast master as the first page, each bringing unique abilities to support diverse play files. This 2.0 update gained massive popularity, propelling the game to #4 on Steam's global top eldercare.

We also rolled out a new PVP spinoff of Once Human on July 30 called Gray Zone, which amplifies the throw of the game's survival open world experience. With unrestricted combat, allowing attacks anytime anywhere. This innovation targets on broader PVP audience through more intense and liberated battles. In June, we began testing a new customer server allowing private servers and customizable seasonal settings that encourage creativity and diversity, giving players even more autonomy.

For Marvel Rivals, we launched Season 3 on July 11, introducing Phoenix as a new playbook here alongside a slate of exciting events and team maps. [ Setting Clinton ] were now stocking spreads. Players join forces and unleash unique skills to save the world. With fast-paced open compact and the fan favorite Phoenix during the rooster, the game quickly climbed to #1 on team's top setter chart in the U.S. and subsequently reached #2 globally following their summer party events.

Beyond in-game update, we are also deepening community engagement through more off-line events in San Diego Comicon. And exclusive behind the same look at the hero creation process, generated tremendous excitement among fans. In May, we also kicked off our Marvel Rivals Ignite e-sports tournaments. With mid-season Finals successfully cut at our Guangzhou Campus recently. Partially players from around the world have come to compete, and we look forward to crowning the first champion with our finals at the end of the year.

With our domestic IP, we continue to extend our player communities and prepare for global expansion. Players of our [indiscernible] open world RPG, Where Winds Meet, continue to be impressed by our steady stream of high-quality content. In the second quarter, we launched a new [ SCSI ] update, featuring the exhaustive dessert landscape of [ Tufan ]. The story line centered on the unyielding spirit of both general and [indiscernible] citizens during the period of unrest resonated deeply with players. By restoring Asian fresco in game, in collaboration with [ Sun ] Art academic. We brought emotional storage live with stunning visual effect. Further fueling player enthusiasm. By the end of July, [ ADAS ] amassed over 40 million total players, while the release of the summer version for [indiscernible] propelled to #5 on China's top grossing chart.

Furthermore, we are thrilled to have successfully concluded the latest round of overseas testing on PC and Playstation 5 at the end of July, placing us firmly on track for its global launch. Sword of Justice, previously known as Justice Mobile marked its second anniversary with the surge in players. We launched a massive update introducing new gameplay features, expanded areas and a wide selection of new cost teams, propelling the title to #3 on China's LS top crossing chart. Global preregistration opened in May and we look forward to bringing this ground-breaking MMORPG experience to more players worldwide.

Dunk City Dynastic also make global players on May 22, and where it reached #1 our LSO target in multiple regions and #2 in the U.S.

As we enhance the global appeal of our games, our established franchises continue to keep players highly engaged, highlighting the strength of our operations and content updates that stand the test of time.

In May, Fantasy Westward Journey online, driving strong interest from player community, which is How to Train your Dragon collaboration, bringing the movies iconic cost teams and dragging mount into the game. The momentum continued with the launch of the innovative unlimited server in July. More notably, this evergreen title reached a new all-time high peak in concurrent players in August, surpassing 2.93 million, an impressive milestone after 22 years of operation.

Our long-term commitment to innovation and maintaining a healthy in-game ecosystem continues to pay off. Similarly, Fantasy Westward Journey Mobile launched a new faction, [indiscernible] which generated strong participation and introduced a vertical screen mode to expand accessibility across play scenarios. Delivering fresh content and elevating player experiences remains central to the game's enduring success. Its revenue posted another record high in the second quarter. The Westward Journey franchise struck at emotional core with players by launching a series of activities seen around below romantic legend [ Bisera ], featuring [ slim ] game plan, costumes and crossovers with the [indiscernible] all tied to the 2025 year of spend. Westward Journey Online 2 continue to build excitement through its annual PVP finals and content updates. While Westward Journey Mobile saw strong participation from both loyal and returning players through the launch of a new server.

Knives out continues to showcase our long-term operational capabilities, maintaining its status as a household game in Japan through dedicated content updates and culturally resonant collaborations. This quarter's crossover with Jujutsu Kaizen, the hit Japanese manga that captivate global audiences, was met with strong player enthusiasm and propelled again to #3 on Japan's LS top grossing chart.

Identity V once again, broke its quarterly revenue record in the second quarter, supported by an enthusiastic fan base. On July 3, identify teamed up with paper bright a popular Chinese horror mystery puzzle game to introduce a chilling wedding sim world featuring immersive labs and new costumes. The crossover drove the game to #7 on China's top grossing chart. Momentum continued in August when the crossover with Frieren: Beyond Journeys End generated significant enthusiasm and propelled it to #4 on China's LS top crossing chart. For Eggy Party anniversary on June 27, we introduced effective in-game updates that transformed Eggy Island with candies, cakes and toys, adding new maps and equipment to deepen strategic game point. Wave of anniversary activities, along with the highly anticipated crossover with [ Sungdong ] ship a strong player excitement and lifted Eggy Party to #5 on China's iOS top grossing chart on July 11.

The [ Nata ] [indiscernible] point franchise also hit another milestone. Its PC game entered its fourth year with brand-new extraction mode and iconic IP crossovers, including Bruce Lee and degenerated drawing [ Zango ]. The mobile game also introduced enhancements to extraction-based survival feature with dynamic weather and new mechanics. The update, [indiscernible] the player base and push the title to #6 on China's iOS top losing care.

After a year of close collaboration, Blizzard titles continue to calculate players in China. On July 15, World of Warcraft and its community celebrated the game's 20th anniversary of operation in China and waiting plans to launch a China exclusive Titan reforged server in November. This announcement reignited enthusiasm among local players and attracted significant attention from broader global community.

Meanwhile, Heartstone launched its latest expansion, the last city of Angora on July 9, featuring a brand-new path system. This new adventure invites players to embark on the quest set for the last city with 145 [indiscernible] card and a new keyword kindred to empower their decks. Shortly after the update. The game climbed to #5 on China's iOS top casting charge.

In April, Overwatch launched its new stadium mode, which has been very popular with players. And in June, they introduced its 17th season featuring a series of updates to power after game experiences. At [indiscernible] World 2025, its collaboration with Porsche sparked more fun excitement, featuring a special in-game skin of the iconic Porsche model.

We are also thrilled to announce that Diablo II resurrected will be returning to China on August 27, with plans for launch of Diablo IV underway. This will enhance the classic franchise for a dedicated fan base.

Innovation remains at the core of how we build and operate games. We bring the same creative ambition and operational rigor to every new titles and the development. Several exciting new games are in the pipeline, each powered by creative game play, bow designs and cutting-edge technology. These titles reflect our commitment to pushing the boundaries of gaming experiences and will position us to expand our player community and further fuel our long-term growth.

Sea of Remnants, our upcoming cross-platform Ocean Adventure RPG received encouraging feedback from its first testing at the end of June. The game invites players into an exciting open water exploration where they uncover the choice behind the 4,000 identity through exhilarating label compacts and term-based battles. Players recruit a crew of allies, build ships and interact with characters adding strategic debts as players shape the faith of the surrounding world based on each decision they make. Currently, we are actively refining the game for its release in 2026.

In June, we are excited to unveil plans for Blood Message, our first AAA single player title. This cinematic story-driven action adventure will be available on PC and consoles, inviting players to step into the heart of [indiscernible] uprising as the nameless messenger and his young son. With immersive third-person gameplay and powered by cutting-edge technology. Blood Message is designed to deliver an epic blockbuster experience for players worldwide.

Planet Party Time, our cross-platform game branding social simulation and party game play has undergone a series of tests to further refine experiences ahead of its official launch. Players can express their creativity on cosmic journey where they can design, build and cultivate their own planets, while enjoying over 120 exciting mini games with friends.

Destiny Rising, a new free-to-play mobile sideline RPG shooter that delivers players to a new alternative time line of Destiny universe will launched on August 28 and across mobile devices. In addition, we plan to launch several licensed titles in China. Most recently, on July we launched Supervise an innovative competitive multiplayer game on PC that provides a unique blend of mobile, battle royale and hero shooter elements.

And we expect Wild Gate, a PVP multi-player shooter game that plans tactical ship-to-ship combat with fast-paced first-person action to meet players in China later this year.

The development for Anata, our highly anticipated urban in open wall title is also well underway. Across our portfolio, we remain focused on building lasting success through continuous innovation and high-quality operations that keeps our games relevant and exciting for players. From evergreen franchises that keep breaking records to build new titles shaping the next generation of game plan. We are committed to delivering distinctive experiences that players love. As we continue raising the bar of the engagement and creativity, we are paving the way for long-term growth domestically and worldwide.

Turning to our other businesses. In Q2, Youdao executed its AI native strategy effectively across both its learning and advertising businesses, delivering its first second quarter operating profit. For Learning Services, Youdao [indiscernible] continue to drive product innovation with our proprietary LLM, Confucius, while we continue to iterate our AI applications. such as Mr. Si AI Tutor gaining increasing user traction.

The online marketing services, our newly launched AI advertising placement optimizer an end-to-end AI agent solution covering demand analysts, strategy formation, data analytics and iteration optimization. Achieving capabilities that previously relied on human expertise. Leveraging our LLM, Confucius, we now offer comprehensive AI-empowered advertisement services. spending creative ad production, placements and post-campaign analysis.

NetEase Cloud Music remain committed to driving quality development across its core music ecosystem. To build on our unique content offerings. We continue to expand our catalog of corrected content while strengthening our origin music library. During the second quarter, we expanded collaborations with Korean music labels and renowned Chinese Artist, while generating strong traction with several in-house tracks such as [indiscernible].

We also continue to innovate our product features and optimize our music-centric community to deliver even better music experiences for our users. For example, our innovative music plan feature, magic live player, which is designed to recreate the immerse field of live concert enhanced with less cape orientation support received a widespread acclaim from music lovers. We're constantly advancing our music-centric monetization and further expanded our subscriber base, resulting in healthy growth in subscription-based membership revenues.

Turning to Yanxuan. We continue to maintain our leading position in key categories. For example, Yanxuan Home Sounds, such as bathroom frequency and car refreshers, has been widely recognized by consumers, secure a solid market position with leading sales. Other iconic products such as cat food also maintained a stable market position.

Across our NetEase family of businesses, we are focused on innovation and refining our product and content to deliver long-term value for users and stakeholders. Looking ahead, we will continue to push the boundaries of player experiences, scaling original IP to build lasting franchises and growing alongside with collaborative global partners to reinforce our position as a creator of high-impact gone defining game.

That concludes William's comments. I will now provide a brief review of our 2025 second quarter financial results. Given the limited time on today's call, I will be presenting abbreviated financial highlights. We encourage you to read through our press release issued earlier today for further details.

As a reminder, all amounts are in RMB, unless otherwise stated. Total net revenue for the second quarter were RMB 27.9 billion or USD 3.9 billion, representing a 9.4% increase year-over-year. Total net revenue from our games and related [indiscernible] were RMB 22.8 billion, up 14% year-over-year. Specifically, Net revenues from online games were RMB 22.1 billion, a quarter-over-quarter decrease of 6% and a year-over-year increase of 15%. The sequential decline was primarily attributable to decreased revenue following the Chinese New Year push, while the year-over-year growth was mainly driven by increased revenue contribution from newly launched titles such as well wind med and more rivals as well as established games like Identity V.

Youdao's net revenue were RMB 1.4 billion, up 7% year-over-year and 9% quarter-over-quarter. This growth was primarily driven by the enhanced utilization of AI technology to boost our learning services and online marketing services.

NetEase Cloud Music net revenue were only $2 billion, up 6% from previous quarter, while declining 4% from the same period last year. Notably, revenues from online music services maintained healthy development, both quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year. Net revenue from innovative businesses and others were RMB 1.7 billion, up 5% from previous quarter, while declined 18% year-over-year. The quarter-over-quarter growth was primarily driven by Yanxuan while the year-over-year decline was mainly due to decreased net revenue from Yanxuan advertising services and certain other businesses in this segment.

Gross profit for the second quarter of 2025 was RMB 18.1 billion, up 13% year-over-year. This was primarily driven by increased net revenue from online games, as previously mentioned. This quarter, our total gross profit margin was 64.7%, looking at our second quarter margin in more detail. Gross profit margin was 70.2% of our games and related [indiscernible] compared with 70% in the same period last year at 68.8% in the last quarter. The quarter-over-quarter improvement was mainly from the higher proportion of net revenues from our self-developed game, which carry higher margin and license gain. Our gross profit margin for Youdao was 43% compared with 48.2% in the same period last year. The decrease was mainly due to the increased revenue contribution from online marketing services with relatively lower gross profit margin. Gross profit margin for NetEase Cloud Music was 36.1% in the second quarter versus 32.1% in the same period a year ago. The margin improvement primarily resulted from strong monetization of our core online music business and ongoing cost of optimization.

For our innovative business and others, gross profit margin was 42.3% compared with 34% in the second quarter of 2024. Total operating expenses for the second quarter were RMB 9 billion or 32% of our net revenues.

Taking a closer look at our cost composition. Our selling and marketing expenses as a percentage of total net revenue was 12.8% compared with 13.7% for the same period last year. mainly due to increased revenue contribution from Games and [ BS ] over the past year.

Our R&D expenses as a percentage of total net revenue remained stable year-over-year at 15.6% in the second quarter. compared with 15.2% for the last quarter. We remain committed to invest into content creation and product development. The effective tax rate was 14.7% for the second quarter.

As a reminder, the effective tax rate is presented on an accrual basis, depending on appeal policies and our operations. Our non-GAAP net income attributable to shareholders for the second quarter totaled RMB 9.5 billion or USD 1.3 billion, up 22% year-over-year. Non-GAAP basic earnings per ADS for the quarter was USD 2.8 or USD 0.42 per share. Additionally, our cash position remains robust. With net cash of approximately RMB 142.1 billion as of June 30, 2025, compared with RMB 137 billion at the end of last quarter. In accordance with our dividend policy, we are pleased to report that our Board of Directors has approved a dividend of USD 11.4 per share or USD 0.57 per ADS.

Lastly, under our current USD 5 billion share repurchase program, which started in mid-January of 2023. We had repurchased approximately 22.1 million ADS as of [indiscernible] 2025, for a total cost of approximately USD 2 billion. Thank you for your attention. We would now like to open the call to your questions.

Operator

[Operator Instructions] Your first question comes from Yang Liu with Morgan Stanley.

Y
Yang Liu
analyst

[Foreign Language] Let me translate my questions my first question is regarding the war wings meat in terms of the monetization in management view. Is it as early success? Or is it meeting expectations? Or it's already fully ramped up? And my second question is regarding 1 human. What drives the grossing rebound for this title? Does this have the good potential to become evergreen game? And what is user revenue split in China and overseas.

U
Unknown Executive

[Foreign Language]

B
Bill Pang
executive

Thank you for the answer, and I will do the translation. So first question is regarding Where Winds Meet. Where Winds Meet has delivered a solid performance as we have explained and exceeded our initial expectation before launch in both in terms of active players and monetization. And more notably, the long term -- we believe the long-term performance has been quite stable, demonstrating the promising potential for the sustainable success. We win me uniquely adopt a business model that combines high-quality content and cosmetic only monetization strategy.

With a well-planned cadence for releasing high-quality content, along with the cosmetic only approach that does not impact the character cultivation process Where Winds Meet -- we believe Where Winds Meet has potential for healthy and lasting monetization cycle. And we are very confident in the future of the game. And in terms of the future continuous development for the content for this game, we'll make continuous, if not bigger investments in the future.

And the second question is regarding Once Human. Behind the balance of performance of Once Human, we actually -- we launched a welcomed significant updates, which we call the annual 2.0 version in early July. The new scenario, and the spring and the new class system has been well both well received by players. The 2.0 version game massive popularity. That's why the game was pushed on to #4 position on Steam's global top seller charge following the amount of the update. Additionally, we also rolled out a new PVP spin-off called Gray Zone by the end of July -- on July 30, offering players what we call that rule-free combat experience that enhance the intensity of the game's PVP gameplays.

Look back, the success of the new scenario demonstrate that the seasonal scenario mode has great potential, and we will continue to launch new scenarios to meet players' seasonal demand. In the meanwhile, we have also introduced a private server called customer survey in China products serve, which allow players to customize their own setting. We're looking forward with ongoing updates of the scenario experiences and the health ecosystem built around the customer service, the product has potential for long-term sustainability. Regarding your question on the user distribution between China and international. The user distribution is about 50-50 between China and the rest of the world. And revenue distribution is about 2% to 3% compared with China versus rest of all. Hope that answers your question.

Operator

Your next question comes from Alicia Yap with Citigroup.

A
Alicis a Yap
analyst

[Foreign Language]

[Interpreted] Can management share -- so additional color on the overall lease games performance on the sequential basis. Do you think you have targeted or the potential of new games? Or do you think they are still untapped user for Blizzard title? Will the future growth of Blizzard titles mainly to be driven by content update and promotional activities on the monetization upside? Or is it will also come from the new user growth those face therapy.

U
Unknown Executive

[Foreign Language]

B
Bill Pang
executive

[Interpreted] Thank you for your question. First of all, please products are extremely high-quality work, high-quality games. As we explained in this call and previous calls, after a year of returning the product operation in China market via various mechanics with the online and offline rich market activities. The game metrics has surplus level positive level previous prior to the shutting down of the server. And thanks for our dedication of the local operation for both online and off-line.

As we continue to deepen our collaboration with Blizzard developing team, our mutual trust and the coordination is increasing. Looking to the future. As long as we implement more improvements that align with the local tastes and habits local Chinese players. We believe there is a good opportunity that we can attract even more new players as well as engaging those who haven't returned yet. Long story short, we believe there's big potential for business games in China market.

Operator

Your next question comes from Yang Bai with CICC.

Y
Yang Bai
analyst

[Foreign Language]

[Interpreted] Thank you management. The company has a number of shooting games set to launch in the second half of 2025, including PC and mobile games as well as self-developed and licensed products. which is your perspective on the overall competitive landscape of your parent shooting game sector

U
Unknown Executive

[Foreign Language]

B
Bill Pang
executive

Yes. Thank you for your question. Yes, the shooting game genre is a very big genres. And also a very big real marketplace as well. And the players have very high expectation on the quality of games. For example, you have to have very high quality or production and we have to have gameplay innovation. It's a high bar to entry. For NetEase, we will keep investing to this genre. And we believe in the future, we can continue to come up with competitive market in this big genre.

Operator

Your next question comes from Richie Sun with HSBC.

R
Ritchie Sun
analyst

[Foreign Language]

[Interpreted] Thank you, management. So first of all, regarding Marvel Rivals after the launch of Season 3, we see the steam revenue ranking rebounded, but then drop to below top 10 afterwards. So how would you evaluate the effectiveness of the new strategy so far? Have we already seen the peak? And what are the new gameplay skins or characters in the backlog that we should watch out for to drive the game to regain this momentum?

And secondly, regarding Sea of Remnants, can management share the feedback of the first testing in June? And what would be the monetization model? And how would you evaluate the addressable market and longevity of this genre of the games?

U
Unknown Executive

[Foreign Language]

B
Bill Pang
executive

Okay. So first, regarding your question on Marvel Rivals. Marvel Rivals recently launched Season 3 and the mid-season finals of Morris Ignite also concluded. We have observed upward and stabilized trend on both DAU and revenue, which make us believe that the new seasonal content update and strategy are effective. Looking forward, we'll continue to introduce more new gameplay mechanics new heroes, new popular costumes based on our new cadence of seasonal update.

For your questions regarding Sea of Remnants. Sea of Remnants Is a very important product to us, and we have high confidence that will make this top-tier successful game and the game will be launched next year. So regarding the detail of this game, please stay tuned. Thank you.

Operator

Your next question comes from Felix Liu with UBS.

F
Felix Liu
analyst

[Foreign Language]

[Interpreted] I have two questions. Number one is on your evergreen titles. We noticed recovery in quite a few of your evergreen titles such Eggy Party and Fantasy Westward Journey online to management share more color on the status of the mentioned two titles. Any reasons for their recent recovery? And in the long run, how does management think about resourcing on existing titles and IPs versus developing new games from farm app?

My second question is on another game in your pipeline, which is Anita. What is the R&D status of Anata? When do you expect this game to launch? And how should we think about the competition landscape for Anata considering there are a few new games from your competitors that also fall into this genre.

U
Unknown Executive

[Foreign Language]

B
Bill Pang
executive

Okay. So yes, let me translate the answers in different parts. So first, regarding your question, the first part, [indiscernible] answered about the Westward Journey PC version. So after a year of continuous experience optimization, various metrics of Fantasy Westward Journey online has observed recovery and stable improvement. And also, as we mentioned, the newly launched unlimited server has been well received by players. And we're super excited to announce that the number of peak and concurrent users set a new record on early August at the 2.93 million PC number. And we have been running this game for so many years, and we are confident that with continuous innovation Fantasies Westward Journey PC will be continuing growing in the future in the future that we can foresee.

And the next question is regarding Eggy Party. Eggy Party, as you know, is one of this kind UGC -- EGC platform kind of game. And after 3 years of exploration, we have mastered the methodology of operating this type of game. And in the future, we're going to keep investing to the game, keep encouraging high-quality EGC content to prosper the ecosystem. And also, we're going to keep investing to the marketing to keep promoting the game to make it household game for everyone in China and have everyone in China understand that is the associated game with this whole family party game kind of concept. That's for the Eggy Party.

And for your question regarding Anata. Anata is now well underway in the mass production stage. And with ongoing efforts to strengthen the core experience and prepare for the long-term content pipeline as well. in the face of competitors, we are more focused on whether we are able to create superior gaming quality that differentiate us from existing market offerings. And also, we -- looking forward, we anticipate that new content and progress will be reviewed around too Game show time late September. Please stay tuned for product news. Thank you.

Operator

Your next question comes from Iran Amanda Zheng with Bank of America.

A
Amanda Zheng
analyst

[Foreign Language]

[Interpreted] Can management share your marketing and operational strategies for your own game and also new games? What are your key focuses? And if any changes that you would like to highlight this year? And what kind of results are you seeing? What is your expectation for the sales and marketing expenses?

U
Unknown Executive

[Foreign Language]

B
Bill Pang
executive

Yes. So we have been doing this business for 20-something years. For new games, all games, how to operate, how to market, we have developed a mature methodology and standard operating procedures. We know how to invest into marketing and when to invest in the marketing. And of course, this -- now we're embracing new master like the social media like the power of AI, everything. So we believe we know went to spend were to spend precisely and were not to spend as well. So in the future, you will see our marketing is going to be more precise and more effective in the future.

Operator

Your next question comes from Lincoln Kong with Goldman Sachs.

L
Lincoln Kong
analyst

[Foreign Language]

[Interpreted] I have two questions. The first one is on AI. So in recent months, the rapid development of AI Mark 3 model has been quite notable. So has company seen any acceleration in an empowered through AI. So what are the existing bottlenecks that still remain? And what are our plans to -- for AI adopting our existing games? And when can we expect some truly AI-native games? My second question is on the overseas market. Company actually recent games has been globally published by ourselves. So what are the important directions or game genres, we are focused for future overseas expansion?

U
Unknown Executive

[Foreign Language]

B
Bill Pang
executive

Yes. So regarding your first question about AI, there's a joke saying that every the life span of every big model is only 3 months. Basically, every new model comes out every couple of months. We have been invested a lot of resources to embrace AI to leverage AI in our development, in our operations, how to embrace AI in our two chains, everything.

So looking to the future. AI is going to play a more and more important role. And we are looking into the future that some there might be games designed by AI could be fun game, that's the future we're looking forward to. And regarding your next question for the overseas publishing, yes, this is a critically important capability of us to be able to publish an globally in different geos.

The global market is kind of geo-based in North America, in South America, in Japan, every market is an attribute. We have learned through a bunch of global game operation from more rivals, Once Human and also in West market and identified and LifeSouth in Japan market, we have learned a tremendous amount of firsthand hands-on experience as well. from operation. And looking forward, in the next couple of years, you will see our global operation -- global operation will keep growing, fueled by our more important new games. And we do believe growing globally is going to be a very important task for us. Thank you for your question. And operator, let's go with one last question, please.

Operator

Your last question comes from Jialong Shi with Nomura.

J
Jialong Shi
analyst

[Foreign Language]

[Interpreted] So I just have one question. Can management share the performance of mobile mistake in overseas markets so far. In addition, are there any updates on the expected launch time for the domestic version what are the company's expectation or specific targets for this game going forward?

U
Unknown Executive

[Foreign Language]

B
Bill Pang
executive

Okay. So as you know, Marvel Mystic Mayhem was officially launched over in overseas market on June 26, with this unique style in innovative game design. The game has received multiple features from Google and App Store and also editor interview as well. And the update was fantastic for release at the end of July has been well received by players as well. In the meantime, we do face some long-term growth challenges for the game, and we're in the process of taking that how should we grow the game and keep it again in the long run.

Operator

And that concludes the question-and-answer session. I would like to hand the conference back to Brandi Piacente for any additional or closing remarks.

B
Brandi Piacente

Thank you once again for joining us today. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us directly, and have a great day and good evening.

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