Blizzard Entertainment(R) and NetEase to Introduce StarCraft(R) II and Battle.net(R) Platform into Mainland China
SHANGHAI, China--(Business Wire)--
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. and NetEase.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES)
today announced an agreement to license Blizzard Entertainment(R)'s
StarCraft(R) II, Warcraft(R) III: Reign of Chaos(TM), Warcraft III:
The Frozen Throne(TM), and Battle.net(R) platform, which provides
online multiplayer services for these games, to Shanghai EaseNet
Network Technology Limited, an affiliated company of NetEase.com, Inc.
Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase have also established a joint
venture, which will provide support for the operation of the licensed
games and Battle.net platform in China.
"NetEase has been a leader in the Chinese game market, and we look
forward to working with them to deliver high-quality entertainment to
Chinese gamers," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard
Entertainment. "This partnership is a sign of our continued commitment
to our players in China and to the local industry."
William Ding, CEO of NetEase, stated, "We're excited to be
partnering with Blizzard Entertainment to bring StarCraft II and
Battle.net to China. We hope to combine Blizzard Entertainment's
expertise in developing world-class games with NetEase's strength in
online-game operation in China to bring the best gaming experiences to
our players."
The term of the license will be three years, with a mutual
one-year renewal period, commencing from the commercial release of
StarCraft II in the PRC. Under the agreements, Shanghai EaseNet will
pay a revenue-based royalty over the license period, while NetEase
will pay a milestone-based license fee and fund and guarantee certain
additional payments and operating expenses in connection with the
joint venture.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft(R) and
the Warcraft(R), StarCraft(R), and Diablo(R) series, Blizzard
Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision
Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of
entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's
most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment's track record
includes ten #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards.
The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net(R), is one of the
largest in the world, with millions of active users.
About NetEase.com Inc.
NetEase.com, Inc. is a leading China-based Internet technology
company that pioneered the development of applications, services and
other technologies for the Internet in China. NetEase's online
communities and personalized premium services have established a large
and stable user base for the NetEase websites. In particular, NetEase
provides online game services to Internet users through the licensing
or in-house development of massively multiplayer online role-playing
games, including Fantasy Westward Journey, Westward Journey Online II,
Westward Journey Online III, and TianXia 2.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information
in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's
expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are
forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of
risks and uncertainties. Blizzard Entertainment generally uses words
such as "outlook," "will," "could," "would," "might," "remains," "to
be," "plans," "believes," "may," "expects," "intends," "anticipates,"
"estimate," future," "plan," "positioned," "potential," "project,"
"remain," "scheduled," "set to," "subject to," "upcoming," and similar
expressions to help identify forward-looking statements. Factors that
could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results to differ
materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set
forth in this release include, but are not limited to, sales of
Blizzard Entertainment's titles, shifts in consumer spending trends,
the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market,
Blizzard Entertainment's ability to predict consumer preferences among
competing hardware platforms (including next-generation hardware),
declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection,
product delays, retail acceptance of Blizzard Entertainment's
products, adoption rate and availability of new hardware and related
software, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and
industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, litigation
against Blizzard Entertainment, maintenance of relationships with key
personnel, customers, vendors, and third-party developers, domestic
and international economic, financial and political conditions and
policies, foreign exchange rates, integration of recent acquisitions
and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities,
Activision Blizzard's success in integrating the operations of
Activision Publishing and Vivendi Games in a timely manner, or at all,
and the combined company's ability to realize the anticipated benefits
and synergies of the transaction to the extent, or in the timeframe,
anticipated. Other such factors include additional risk factors
identified in Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form
10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The
forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information
available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the
date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor
Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be
true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements
are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment
or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and
other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause
actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
This press release also contains statements of a forward-looking
nature regarding NetEase's expectations, plans, intentions or
strategies that are forward-looking statements and involve a number of
risks and uncertainties. These statements are made under the "safe
harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by
terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future,"
"intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements.
The accuracy of these statements may be impacted by a number of
business risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those projected or anticipated, including risks
related to uncertainty as to the popularity of the games being
licensed by Blizzard or the profitability of the license and joint
venture arrangements between NetEase and Blizzard and other risks
outlined in NetEase's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. NetEase does not undertake any obligation to update this
forward-looking information, except as required under applicable law.
Blizzard Entertainment
Lisa Jensen
Vice President, Global PR
949-854-6200 dir
949-854-7900 fax
ljensen@blizzard.com
or
Blizzard China
Roger Sun
PR Director
86-21-31330700
rsun@blizzard.com
or
NetEase
Xiaohua Liang
PR Manager, Interactive Entertainment
86-20-85105757
xhliang@corp.netease.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
