Posts tagged the9 
FIFA Online 2 unplugging in China
In a brief announcement this morning from Shanghai, The9 revealed plans to disband operations of EA Sports FIFA Online 2 in China. The publisher is doing so via mutual agreement with FIFA Online 2's developer, Electronic Arts, saying the "license and commercial operation" of the game will end somet...
OpenFeint coming to Android phones
According to Slide to Play, Aurora Feint has announced plans to bring its OpenFeint platform to Android devices. The platform made its name by creating an online social hub for iPhone gamers, allowing them to send instant messages, find other players and even find games (though it will soon face co...
The9 invests nearly $15 million into Red 5 Studios, Fire Rain
The9 didn't have the best year in 2009 -- Blizzard decided to take away its ability to run World of Warcraft in China, and as a result, the company reported a Cataclysmic drop in revenues. But the company doesn't want you counting it out of the MMO game just yet: Reuters says that The9 has invested...
The9 posts 94 percent drop in Q3 revenues after losing WoW
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 t...
NetEase snags the reigns of World of Warcraft in China
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 di...
Chinese government says no to Wrath of the Lich King
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 "...
WoW achieves a million concurrent connections in China
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 re...
EA invests in The9
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 ...
EA denies reported investment in The9
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 bas...
PepsiCo to sponsor Guild Wars in China
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, a...
