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The9 posts 94 percent drop in Q3 revenues after losing WoW

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 27th 2009 at 12:30PM }

Mother of pearl! We thought it was safe to assume that Shanghai-based MMO operator The9 would lose a chunk of its revenue after handing the license for World of Warcraft over to competing company NetEase. By "a chunk" we, of course, meant "a fraction." Not "almost all revenue," which according to the company's Q3 2009 financial report, is how much it lost year-over-year after passing off the rights to run WoW.

To put it numerically, The9's revenues dropped 94 percent from the same quarter last year. A hit that big must have left a sizable dent in the ol' pocketbook -- however, we're guessing the company's board members take some small, spiteful satisfaction from the tribulations the game has brought to its new operators.

NetEase snags the reigns of World of Warcraft in China

by Griffin McElroy { Apr 18th 2009 at 9:00PM }

As rumor has it, Chinese internet company NetEase has a totally huge crush on Blizzard. It made its first clear attempt at courtship last August by snatching up the rights to operate Battle.net in China, but a recent press release from Blizzard revealed the company's biggest, Say Anything-esque display of affection to date -- NetEase will be taking over operating duties for World of Warcraft when current operator The9's contract expires June 8.

Of course, if NetEase wanted to win over the hearts of the Chinese MMO-playing population, they'd push for the release of Wrath of the Lich King, which still hasn't dropped in the region. Chinese news site DoNews reports that NetEase has licensed Wrath, though they haven't made any formal announcements regarding its release.

[Via Massively]

Chinese government says no to Wrath of the Lich King

by Ben Gilbert { Mar 11th 2009 at 12:48PM }

Seriously, who doesn't like skeletons? Well, the Chinese government, as it's citing "skeleton characters" and a "city raid" as two primary reasons for the million World of Warcraft players in China still not receiving Blizzard's latest expansion.

JLM Pacific Epoch reports the Chinese government "has rejected two applications by the second expansion for World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lich King since China's Spring Festival (January 25 - February 1)." Considering Blizzard has removed "skeleton characters" from WoW in the past and the supposedly gold farmer-free million plus player count for WoW in China, we're willing to bet Blizzard (and its licensing partner in China, The9) will find a way to release Wrath of the Lich King yet.

But seriously China, what's your deal with skeletons?

[Via Massively]

WoW achieves a million concurrent connections in China

by Alexander Sliwinski { Apr 14th 2008 at 5:00PM }

World of Warcraft's Chinese overlords, The9, announced the game hit the epic (but not legendary) feat of having over one million concurrent connections. According to The9 it breaks the concurrency records set by the game's launch in China on September 6, 2007.

Instinctively, the finger for this record-breaking concurrency is pointed at Chinese gold farmers, but apparently those players are on the North American and European servers and wouldn't be counted in The9's tally. The milestone isn't too shabby for a game that's allegedly peaked.

[Via Massively, Ancient Gaming Noob]

EA invests in The9

by Ross Miller { May 21st 2007 at 3:59PM }

Electronic Arts has acquired a stake in Chinese publisher The9, Gamasutra reports. The US-based publishing powerhouse will have 15% of the The9's common stock, which amounts to US $167 million. The two companies also announced a licensing agreement that makes The9 the sole publisher of FIFA Online in mainland China.

EA had previously half-denied reports of an investment, saying that at the time there was "no signed agreement with The9." Rumors of an investment date back to at least September 2006. EA Asia Online president Hubert Larenaudie stated that he believes this is "another significant step" in building EA's presence in Asia.

It is unclear how this arrangement might affect The9's relationship with EA rival Vivendi, who licenses the massively popular World of Warcraft to the publisher.

EA denies reported investment in The9

by Ross Miller { Apr 10th 2007 at 3:59PM }

According to official newspaper Shanghai Securities News this weekend, Electronic Arts was said to have reached a deal with Chinese MMO provider The9 to purchase a 19% stake in the company for about US $200 million. The newspaper cites unnamed sources and say that the two companies had reached a basic agreement but makes no mention of whether or not the deal has been finalized.

EA spokesman Jeff Brown has told Reuters that "there is no signed agreement with The9," while declining to elaborate further. However, having no signed agreement currently does not mean that the company is not in the process of working toward the outlined deal. Could the report be wrong or is EA playing coy? We'll just have to wait and see.

The9 has the rights to operate World of Warcraft, Guild Wars and Hellgate: London to China. The paper also reported a deal that would allow The9 to run EA's FIFA Online in China. Such an agreement has been rumored since EA named Hubert Larenaudie, with strong ties to The9, as president of EA Asia.

See also:
Joystiq interview: Hoyt Ma, The9

[Via WoW Insider]

PepsiCo to sponsor Guild Wars in China

by Alan Rose { Nov 27th 2006 at 5:10PM }

The cola wars took an interesting turn today, and Chinese online gaming host The9 showed they have flexible loyalties when it comes to carbonated beverages. The Shanghai-based developer successfully partnered with Coca-Cola (and pop group S.H.E.) in 2005 to promote the launch of World of Warcraft, and now PepsiCo wants a piece of China's MMO action.

As part of a new marketing agreement, Pepsi and The9 will co-sponsor a national Guild Wars tournament and pimp over 10,000 Internet Cafes using decor based on NCsoft's popular fantasy setting. Cafe chaperones will now have to work twice as hard to keep sticky soft drinks away from the PCs. Beta testing for Guild Wars China begins in two days.

Guild Wars beta testing to begin in China

by Alan Rose { Nov 20th 2006 at 9:30PM }

As if Chinese gamers didn't have enough online gaming to occupy their leisure (and work) time, The9 has announced Guild Wars China will begin closed beta testing on Nov. 29. One of the most anticipated games on the mainland, Guild Wars attracted 200,000 applicants on the first day of beta registration last week. Maybe an aspiring Chinese clan will unseat South Korea's reigning Guild Wars champs The Last Pride at the next world tournament.

The9 also hosts World of Warcraft and Webzen's Soul of the Ultimate Nation, but it is unknown if the Shanghai-based developer's Guild Wars deal with NCsoft also includes the Factions and Nightfall expansions.

See also: Nightfall world premiere sets Guild Wars record

Shaiya, Guild Wars most anticipated in China

by Alan Rose { Nov 6th 2006 at 3:58PM }

According to new research from Chinese gaming portal 17173.com, Guangdong-based distributor Optisp (EVE Online) is home to the most anticipated online game in China, the Korean import Shaiya: Light and Darkness. WoW distributor The9 is hosting two of China's other highly anticipated Korean titles, Guild Wars and Soul of the Ultimate Nation.

The fever over Shaiya is reportedly due to some racy ads that prompted Chinese censors to request less suggestive promos. I'm sure the two half-naked women prominently featured in the game's propaganda had nothing to do with that. 17173 has collected some in-game screen shots and wallpapers of Shaiya's physical embodiments of "light" and "darkness" (can you guess who's who?).

See also: China online gaming trends

EA names new president of Asian operations

by Alan Rose { Sep 25th 2006 at 1:30PM }

Electronic Arts has tapped former Vivendi Universal executive Hubert Larenaudie to be the new president of EA Asia. Larenaudie became the president of VU Games' Asia Pacific operations two years ago, and it's rumored that the strong ties he developed with The9 during that time will result in the Chinese publisher licensing EA's popular FIFA series.

See also:

SUN is most anticipated game in China

by Alan Rose { Jun 7th 2006 at 12:45PM }

According to the latest poll from Chinese gaming site, 17173.com, Korean developer Webzen's Soul of the Ultimate Nation is the most anticipated game in China. Other titles in the top ten include Guild Wars and Granado Espada (both will be operated by WoW host The9), as well as Kingdom of Warriors, Ragnarok Online 2, and Rohan.

Analysts are predicting China's online gaming market will approach $1 billion in annual revenue within the next year, surpassing Korea. In response to this gaming boom, major publishers such as Electronic Arts, NCsoft, Take-Two, and Ubisoft have opened development offices in Shanghai. Webzen is currently putting the finishing touches on MMO-shooter Huxley for the North American market, but has also opened an office in Shanghai to produce Kingdom of Warriors.

See also: Disney, Shanda bring online content to China

Guild Wars China to be operated by The9

by Alan Rose { Apr 17th 2006 at 10:05PM }

Chinese online gaming powerhouse The9 can now add Guild Wars to its growing catalog of MMO offerings. Already the World of Warcraft host in China, The9 has reached an agreement with NCsoft to operate Guild Wars for three years on the mainland, although it doesn't specifically state if this includes the Guild Wars sequel, Factions. The9 also hosts Webzen's popular MU and will begin operating the Korean developer's Soul of the Ultimate Nation in Q4 of this year.

[Thanks, billsdue]

China threatens mass boycott of WoW

by James Ransom-Wiley { Mar 6th 2006 at 12:30PM }

Unstable servers have prompted Chinese World of Warcraft players to take action. Game unions have threatened to quit playing WoW, as players continue to post their complaints on Internet forums and make personal calls to fellow members to join the cause.

In China, WoW's servers are maintained by The9, which charges gamers by the hour to play WoW. The9 is incapable of solving technical issues related to the game without Blizzard's help, but is currently investigating the server issues. Gamers have cited "severe time delays, long-queue times, and frozen servers" as the primary causes of concern. In the fourth quarter of 2005, WoW's concurrent user count in China peaked at 530,000 players.