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)