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Blizzard, NetEase Announce WoW License
Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase (Nasdaq:NTES) announced April 16 that a NetEase affiliate will license Blizzard's 3D MMORPG World of Warcraft (WoW) for three years after the game's current licensing agreement expires. The9 (Nasdaq:NCTY) currently operates the game in the mainland and its license is scheduled to expire on June 8. NetEase's official WoW site states that the company will not change the time-based charging mode of the game and will close as few server groups as possible during the transition period. Some current WoW services, such as for-a-fee name changes and security items, will be altered or canceled after the transition, according to the official site.
According to an unnamed insider, NetEase has acquired the license for WoW's second expansion, "Wrath of the Lich King" (WLK), reports DoNews. The expansion's release date remains unclear.
Last August, NetEase and Blizzard announced the establishment of a China joint venture to support operation of Blizzard games Starcraft II, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne and affiliated multiplayer service platform Battle.net.
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