NetEase wins licence to host World of Warcraft

April 16 (Reuters) - Chinese online games operator NetEase.com Inc (NTES.O) said on Thursday it had won the licence to host Activision Blizzard's (ATVI.O) popular role-playing game World of Warcraft for three years in mainland China.

World of Warcraft's current licence is owned by rival The9 Ltd (NCTY.O) and is set to expire on June 8.

Shares of The9 plunged 25 percent on Wednesday after Chinese media said it had lost the licence. [ID:nBNG390857] (Reporting by Jennifer Robin Raj in Bangalore, editing by Will Waterman)