SHANGHAI, July 8 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- The9 Limited (Nasdaq: NCTY) ("The9"), an online game developer and operator in China, today announced that The9 and Aurora Feint Inc., a Delaware corporation, have entered into a definitive investment agreement pursuant to which The9 has made a strategic minority equity investment in Aurora Feint Inc.
Based in Burlingame, California, Aurora Feint Inc. develops mobile games and operates OpenFeint, a leading mobile social platform and application for smartphones, OpenFeint includes a set of online game services such as leaderboards and achievements running in a cloud based web service operated by Aurora Feint Inc. OpenFeint's developer SDK is a toolkit that can be integrated in any iPhone based game. Thousands of mobile game developers use OpenFeint and there are more than 28 million registered users and 2,200 games live in the Apple App Store. OpenFeint also announced OpenFeint X in 2010, which is a virtual goods management system that enables developers to build free-to-play social games for mobile phones.
Mr. Jun Zhu, The9's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are confident of the prospect for this mobile platform and believe it will play an important role in the future development of global mobile internet. The investment in Aurora Feint is an important step of The9's establishment of a mobile gaming platform and is also an integral part of our global strategy."
About The9 Limited
The9 Limited is an online game operator and developer in China. The9's business is primarily focused on developing and operating high-quality games for the online game market. The9 directly, or through affiliates, operates licensed MMORPGs and advanced casual games including Soul of The Ultimate Nation(TM), Granado Espada, EA SPORTS(TM) FIFA Online 2, Atlantica and Kingdom Heroes 2 Online, as well as its proprietary games World of Fighter, Jiu Zhou Zhan Ji and Winning Goal. It has also obtained exclusive licenses to operate other games in mainland China, including Audition 2 and others. In addition, The9 is developing various proprietary games, including Miracles: Ultimate X, Tiny Tribe, Monster of War and other MMORPGs and advanced causal games.
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the business outlook and quotations from management in this press release contain forward-looking statements. The9 may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Forms 20-F and 6-K, etc., in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about The9's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. 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, The9's limited operating history as an online game operator, political and economic policies of the Chinese government, the laws and regulations governing the online game industry, information disseminated over the Internet and Internet content providers in China, intensified government regulation of Internet cafes, The9's ability to retain existing players and attract new players, license, develop or acquire additional online games that are appealing to users, anticipate and adapt to changing consumer preferences and respond to competitive market conditions, and other risks and uncertainties outlined in The9's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual reports on Form 20-F. The9 does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
For further information, please contact:
Ms. Phyllis Sai
IR Manager, Investor Relations
The9 Limited
Tel: +86-21-5172-9990
Email: IR@corp.the9.com
