Blizzard Entertainment(R) to Partner With NetEase in Mainland China on World of Warcraft(R)
NetEase.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTES) today announced that Blizzard
Entertainment(R)’s World of Warcraft(R) will be licensed to an affiliated
company of NetEase.com, Inc. in mainland
the expiration of the current license agreement.
Both companies announced a partnership on Blizzard Entertainment’s
Warcraft(R) III, StarCraft(R) II, and Battle.net(R) gaming platform last
summer. Today’s announcement further enhances the partnership between Blizzard
Entertainment and NetEase and promotes a consistent level of quality and
service in mainland
partnership.
“We appreciate the enthusiasm that Chinese gamers have shown us over the
years, and we’ve always worked hard, in collaboration with our partners, to
ensure that these players receive the same high-quality service and gameplay
experiences that we deliver in other regions,” said
cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “This new agreement with NetEase will
support that goal for years to come, and we look forward to collaborating with
them on a smooth transition for World of Warcraft moving forward.”
“We are excited to be working with Blizzard Entertainment now on World of
Warcraft in addition to Warcraft III, StarCraft II, and Battle.net,” stated
in developing world-class games with NetEase’s strength in online-game
operation in
gaming experiences in the world to our players.”
Further details on the transition plans for World of Warcraft in mainland
that website will be updated with more information in the weeks and months
ahead.
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: 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 eleven #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
that pioneered the development of applications, services and other
technologies for the Internet in
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 levels of
Blizzard Entertainment’s titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the
impact of the current macroeconomic environment, 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, and the other 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 contact:
Lisa Jensen
Vice President, Global PR,
Blizzard Entertainment
Tel: +1-949-854-6200 direct
Fax: +1-949-854-7900
Email: ljensen@blizzard.com
Roger Sun
PR Director,
Blizzard China
Tel: +86-21-3133-0700
Email: rsun@blizzard.com
Xiaohua Liang
PR Manager,
Interactive Entertainment, NetEase
Tel: +86-20-8510-5757
Email: xhliang@corp.netease.com
SOURCE NetEase.com Inc.