GreaterThan Group’s Bold Bet: Funding ‘Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic’ and Rebalancing the Game Industry

How former NetEase investment chief Simon Zhu is reshaping game development through creative-first funding

Former NetEase executive Simon Zhu has launched GreaterThan Group with $100 million to empower undervalued studios—most notably Arcanaut Studios and its upcoming RPG, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. This article explores the implications of this funding model, the pedigree behind Arcanaut, and what it signals for the future of creative-driven game development.

A Visionary Investment in Creative Freedom

On May 12, 2026, PC Gamer and GamesRadar broke the news: Simon Zhu, former head of global investments and partnerships at NetEase, has founded GreaterThan Group (GTG), a US-based holding company, and raised approximately $100 million to invest in elite creative studios such as Arcanaut, BulletFarm, and MAGship . GTG’s mission—Zhu says—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” .

Reviving the Old Republic with Industry Legends

Arcanaut Studios, founded in July 2025 by Casey Hudson, the original director of Knights of the Old Republic and the Mass Effect trilogy, is developing Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic—a spiritual successor to the beloved KotOR series—under GTG’s funding . Hudson emphasizes the game will be narrative-rich with branching light-versus-dark paths, and importantly, will eschew AI-generated content—calling AI “creatively soulless” and opting for human-driven development .