The9 Ltd., a leading online game operator in China, announced
today that it has, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, entered
into an agreement with Webzen Inc. , an online game developer and
publisher in South Korea, for an exclusive license to operate
Huxley, a massive multiplayer online first-person shooting
game (MMOFPS) on the Chinese mainland.?
The term of the license is for three years from the date of the
commercial launch of the game in China. Under the agreement, The9
has agreed to pay installation and license fees, as well as running
royalties with minimum payment guarantees if certain operational
results are achieved.
Developed by Webzen, Huxley delivers the excitement and
rich game-play experience of an MMORPG with a focus on first person
shooting (FPS) features. The game enables players to communicate
with each other in a virtual online world, and participate in side
battles with the intuitive player vs. player system.?
Huxley goes beyond the traditional death match FPS
game-play by challenging players to adapt new forms of combat to
protect the interests of its team, and requires players to
strategize and to cooperate to achieve victory.?
The game also boasts advanced artificial intelligence that
rivals other online games.? In addition, the characters in
Huxley are continuously growing, which is rare in FPS
games. Players are able to enhance their own combat styles by
obtaining scarce weapons and new skills, which in turn cause
players to adopt different game-play styles as they progress.
"We are very pleased that The9 obtained, in addition to Soul
of The Ultimate Nation, another exclusive license to operate a
high-caliber game from Webzen on Chinese mainland," said Zhu Jun,
The9's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, "The FPS style game is
one of the key genres of online games. With unique game features
and a clear-cut FPS focus, we believe Huxley has much
prospects for the Chinese online game market, and will further
enhance and diversify The9's game portfolio. "
He added, "The9 and Webzen have established a long-term
partnership since we started cooperating in connection with the
MU game five years ago. We are confident that The9's
operational capabilities, combined with Webzen's expertise as a
leading game developer, will result in Huxley's becoming a
successful game on Chinese mainland."
(China.org.cn February 12, 2007)
