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Sohu.com Announces Changyou.com to Begin Open Beta Testing of "Duke of Mount Deer" on July 22, 2011

2011-06-30 21:03 2037

BEIJING, June 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Sohu.com Inc. (Nasdaq: SOHU), China's leading online media, search, gaming, community and mobile service group, today announced that its online game subsidiary, Changyou.com Limited ("Changyou") (NASDAQ: CYOU) will begin open-beta testing of Duke of Mount Deer, an inhouse-developed 3D fantasy martial-arts massively multi-player online role-playing game ("MMORPG") on July 22, 2011.

Four years in the making, Duke of Mount Deer is Changyou's second inhouse-developed MMORPG. Using two different game engines and the latest 3D rendering technology, the game displays beautifully rendered, cinematic quality graphics, and recreates the imaginary martial arts world from the final book of Louis Cha's popular novel series. The game also features Changyou's self-developed seamless server connectivity technology that, for the first time in a MMORPG, allows gamers to move beyond the server where they originally registered and engage in competitions and social activities with users that are logged in on separate servers. This server technology greatly improves the social reach of individual players and creates one all-encompassing game universe. In addition, the game introduces a novel "server vs. server" battle mode that brings communities of users on different servers together to fight against competing teams on other servers for land, resources and dominance over the whole game universe.

Mr. Tao Wang, Changyou's chief executive officer, commented, "As our second inhouse-developed MMORPG, we look to further our leadership position in the industry with the launch of Duke of Mount Deer on July 22. The game incorporates many innovative game features that have been requested by gamers in China and overseas, and is the combined effort of our top engineers, graphic artists and professional game testers. Incorporating new technology, cutting edge graphic capabilities, and both eastern and western design themes, we have created a new and exciting universe for gamers to experience."

About Changyou

Changyou.com Limited is a leading developer and operator of online games in China. It began operations as a business unit within Sohu.com Inc. (NASDAQ: SOHU) in 2003 predominantly focused on the development and operation of massively multi-player online role-playing games ("MMORPG"). Changyou was carved out as a separate, stand-alone company in December 2007, and completed an initial public offering on April 7, 2009. Changyou currently operates eight online games, including the in-house developed Tian Long Ba Bu, one of the most popular online games in China, and the licensed Blade Online, Blade Hero 2, Da Hua Shui Hu, Zhong Hua Ying Xiong, Immortal Faith, San Jie Qi Yuan and Legend of Ancient World. Changyou has a diversified pipeline of games with various graphic styles and themes, including the in-house developed Duke of Mount Deer, which received an award as one of China's most anticipated online games. Changyou's advanced technology platform includes advanced 2.5D and 3D graphics engines, a uniform game development platform, effective anti-cheating and anti-hacking technologies, proprietary cross-networking technology and advanced data protection technology. For more information about Changyou, please visit http://www.changyou.com/en/.

About Sohu.com

Sohu.com Inc. (NASDAQ: SOHU) is China's premier online brand and indispensable to the daily life of millions of Chinese, providing a network of web properties and community based/web 2.0 products which offer the vast Sohu user community a broad array of choices regarding information, entertainment and communication. Sohu has built one of the most comprehensive matrices of Chinese language web properties and proprietary search engines, consisting of the mass portal and leading online media destination www.sohu.com; interactive search engine www.sogou.com; #1 games information portal www.17173.com; the top real estate website www.focus.cn; #1 online alumni club www.chinaren.com; wireless value-added services provider www.goodfeel.com.cn; leading online mapping service provider www.go2map.com; and developer and operator of online games www.changyou.com/en/.

Sohu corporate services consist of online brand advertising on its matrix of websites as well as paid listing and bid listing on its in-house developed search directory and engine. Sohu also offers wireless value-added services such as news, information, music, ringtone and picture content sent over mobile phones. Sohu's online game subsidiary, Changyou.com (NASDAQ: CYOU), currently operates eight online games in China, including the in-house developed Tian Long Ba Bu, one of the most popular online games in China, and the licensed Blade Online, Blade Hero 2, Da Hua Shui Hu, Zhong Hua Ying Xiong, Immortal Faith, San Jie Qi Yuan and Legend of Ancient World. Sohu.com, established by Dr. Charles Zhang, one of China's internet pioneers, is in its fifteenth year of operation.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Sohu's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current plans, estimates and projections, and therefore you should not place undue reliance on them. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the current global financial and credit markets crisis and its potential impact on the Chinese economy, the uncertain regulatory landscape in the People's Republic of China, fluctuations in Sohu's quarterly operating results, and Sohu's reliance on online advertising sales, online games and wireless services (most wireless revenues are collected from a few mobile network operators) for its revenues. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Sohu's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:


In China:

Mr. James Deng

Sohu.com Inc.

Tel: +86 (10) 6272-6596

E-mail: ir@contact.sohu.com


Ms. Jenny Wu

Christensen

Tel: +86 (10) 5826-4939

E-mail: jwu@ChristensenIR.com


In the United States:

Mr. Jeff Bloker

Christensen

Tel: +1 (480) 614-3003

E-mail: jbloker@ChristensenIR.com



Source: Sohu.com Inc.
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