Consumer China

The9's battle over World of Warcraft

  • Published 17 Apr 2009

The future of Nasdaq-listed The9 is hanging on the industry regulator's decision whether or not to approve the second expansion of blockbuster game World of Warcraft.

The9 was licensed to operate US-based Activision Blizzard's World of Warcraft in 2005 and benefited handsomely since. The MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) has shot to the number-one spot as China’s most popular game, with peak concurrent users hitting 1m back in April 2008 and remaining strong. What’s more, WoW contributed 90% of The9's $250.4m (Rmb 1.7bn, €190m, £167m) net revenues last year, helping net income reach $51.1m, up 45% from a year earlier.

Issue icon

Latest Issue

12 Jan 2012

Browse the archive

Get two weeks free trial Subscribe now to access all of China Confidential

China Confidential Funds

China Confidential Funds, a new research service launched by FT China Confidential, is dedicated to illuminating the mainland fund industry. Our team of fund industry experts in Shanghai search out the interesting trends in fund performance, strategy, interactions with overseas funds, regulatory changes, distribution and management. We also use a proprietary system to track the emerging flows of Chinese money. Click here to find out more.

Find out more