Blizzard Entertainment(R) and NetEase to Introduce StarCraft(R) II and Battle.net(R)...

Blizzard Entertainment(R) and NetEase to Introduce StarCraft(R) II and
Battle.net(R) Platform Into Mainland China

SHANGHAI, China, Aug. 12 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- 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.
( http://www.blizzard.com ), a division of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq:
ATVID),
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.
For further information, please contact:

Lisa Jensen
Vice President, Global PR,
Blizzard Entertainment
Tel: +1-949-854-6200
Fax: +1-949-854-7900
Email: ljensen@blizzard.com

Roger Sun
PR Director,
Blizzard China
Tel: +86-21-3133-0700
Email: rsun@blizzard.com

Brandi Piacente
Investor Relations,
The Piacente Group
Tel: +1-212-481-2050
Email: brandi@corp.netease.com

SOURCE NetEase.com Inc.

Lisa Jensen, Vice President, Global PR of Blizzard Entertainment,
+1-949-854-6200, or fax, +1-949-854-7900, or ljensen@blizzard.com; or Roger
Sun, PR Director of Blizzard China, +86-21-3133-0700, or rsun@blizzard.com; or
Brandi Piacente, Investor Relations of The Piacente Group, +1-212-481-2050, or
brandi@corp.netease.com, for NetEase