GreaterThan Group’s $100M Bet on ‘Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic’ Signals a Renaissance for Ambitious Game Development

Simon Zhu’s new holding company backs Arcanaut Studios—and other veteran-led teams—in a bold move to revitalize creative investment in gaming.

GreaterThan Group, founded by former NetEase investment chief Simon Zhu, has committed $100 million to fund undervalued developers, including Arcanaut Studios’ spiritual successor to Knights of the Old Republic, ‘Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic.’ With veteran leadership, lean teams, and a rejection of AI in core creative work, this initiative marks a strategic pivot toward creator-first support in a shifting industry.

A Strategic Reboot: From NetEase to GreaterThan Group

On May 12, 2026, Bloomberg revealed that Simon Zhu—longtime head of global investments and partnerships at NetEase—launched GreaterThan Group, a holding company seeded with $100 million to back undervalued game developers . The capital comprises approximately $40 million in liquid cash and $60 million in committed funds . Zhu’s exit from NetEase in 2025 followed a wave of studio closures amid the company’s investment pullback, including the shuttering of Casey Hudson’s previous studio, Humanoid Origin . GreaterThan’s mission, Zhu says, is to “bring common sense back to the games industry,” offering creators the runway to pursue dream projects without compromise .

Reviving a Legacy: Funding ‘Fate of the Old Republic’

Among GreaterThan’s initial investments is Arcanaut Studios’ ‘Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic,’ a spiritual successor to Knights of the Old Republic led by original director Casey Hudson . Arcanaut, founded in July 2025, is staffed with veterans from BioWare, Microsoft, Epic Games, and Remedy . The project was first unveiled at The Game Awards 2025 and is slated for release before 2030 . While still early in development, Hudson emphasizes narrative depth, player agency, and a lean team structure—eschewing AI-generated content in favor of human creativity .