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NetEase CEO: "WoW" to Return in Late June
The first batch of new server groups for 3D MMORPG World of Warcraft (WoW) are scheduled to open in late June, and all remaining groups will launch within the following weeks, William Ding, CEO of future WoW operator NetEase (Nasdaq:NTES), and Mike Morhaime, CEO of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq:ATVI) division Blizzard Entertainment, jointly announced May 27. Shanghai-based online game company The9 (Nasdaq:NCTY) plans to stop mainland operation of WoW at 12 a.m. on June 7 after four years of operation, The9 said May 31. The9 will begin working to refund prepaid cards and security tokens that have not yet been consumed or delivered on June 7.
The9 and Blizzard Entertainment have agreed to record all relevant WoW gamer data, including final character and play time, in a snapshot when WoW closes all server groups on June 7, NetEase announced May 30. The data will be transferred to Blizzard Entertainment and allow gamers to resume previous games in new NetEase servers, the announcement said. NetEase also promised to respond quickly and efficiently to "unexpected situations" during the data transfer.
According to an unnamed source, NetEase spent more than RMB 100 million to purchase its first batch of WoW hardware, mainly from HP (NYSE:HPQ) and IBM (NYSE:IBM), reports DoNews. NetEase did not confirm the news, said the report. NetEase spent about $4 million on HP mini computers, while most of its blade servers came from IBM, said the source. Rumors said the IBM order totaled more than RMB 100 million, according to the source.
Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase announced April 16 that a NetEase affiliate will license Blizzard's WoW for three years after the game's current licensing agreement expires.
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