Sohu.com Announces Launch of 'Da Hua Shui Hu' by Changyou.com on March 18, 2010

BEIJING, March 1 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Sohu.com Inc. (Nasdaq: SOHU), China's leading online media, communications, search, online games and mobile value-added services group, today announced that its massively multi-player online role-playing game ("MMORPG") subsidiary, Changyou.com Limited ("Changyou") (NASDAQ: CYOU), will begin open-beta testing of Da Hua Shui Hu, Changyou's 2D turn-based cartoon-style MMORPG, on March 18, 2010.

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Da Hua Shui Hu, a game developed by a Guangzhou-based game development studio, is based on one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature, Outlaws of the Marsh. Through its cartoon graphics and humorous twists on characters and plots, Da Hua Shui Hu provides an amusing and entertaining take on the heroic tales from the classic Chinese novel.

Mr. Dewen Chen, Changyou's president and chief operating officer, commented, "As Changyou's first cartoon-style turn-based game, Da Hua Shui Hu complements our existing game offerings and further enriches Changyou's game portfolio. It marks another step forward in our strategy of focusing on both in-house developed and licensed games. We expect the game to help expand our user base with its easy-to-learn community-based game play, popular storyline and unique features, which innovatively incorporate a number of today's most popular gaming elements."

Da Hua Shui Hu was successfully licensed in 2009 through Changyou's "Qi Bao" strategic licensing plan, which aims to discover high-quality online games.

About Changyou

Changyou.com Limited's massively multi-player online role-playing games ("MMORPG") business began operations as a business unit within Sohu.com Inc. (NASDAQ: SOHU) in 2003. Changyou was carved out as a separate, stand-alone company in December 2007, completed an initial public offering on April 7, 2009 and is now a leading developer and operator of online games in China. Changyou currently operates three online games, including the in-house developed Tian Long Ba Bu, one of the most popular online games in China, and the licensed Blade Online and Blade Hero 2. Changyou has a diversified pipeline of games with various graphic styles and themes, including the licensed Da Hua Shui Hu, Zhong Hua Ying Xiong, Immortal Faith, Legend of the Ancient World, and the in-house developed Duke of Mount Deer, which received an award as one of China's most anticipated online games. Changyou's leading technology platform includes advanced 2.5D and 3D graphics engines, a uniform game development platform, effective anti-cheating and anti-hacking technologies, proprietary cross-networking technology and advanced data protection technology. For more information about Changyou, please visit www.changyou.com/en/ .

About Sohu.com

Sohu.com Inc. (NASDAQ: SOHU) is China's premier online brand and indispensable to the daily life of millions of Chinese, providing a network of web properties and community based/web 2.0 products which offer the vast Sohu user community a broad array of choices regarding information, entertainment and communication. Sohu has built one of the most comprehensive matrices of Chinese language web properties and proprietary search engines, consisting of the mass portal and leading online media destination www.sohu.com; interactive search engine www.sogou.com; #1 games information portal www.17173.com; the top real estate website www.focus.cn; #1 online alumni club www.chinaren.com; wireless value-added services provider www.goodfeel.com.cn; leading online mapping service provider www.go2map.com; and developer and operator of online games www.changyou.com.

Sohu corporate services consist of brand advertising on its matrix of websites as well as paid listing and bid listing on its in-house developed search directory and engines. Sohu also offers wireless value-added services such as news, information, music, ringtone and picture content sent over mobile phones. The Group's massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) subsidiary, Changyou.com (NASDAQ: CYOU), currently operates three MMORPGs, Tian Long Ba Bu, Blade Online and Blade Hero 2. Sohu.com, established by Dr. Charles Zhang, one of China's internet pioneers, is in its fourteenth year of operation.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current plans, estimates and projections, and therefore you should not place undue reliance on them. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution you that 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, the current global financial and credit markets crisis and its potential impact on the Chinese economy, the slower growth the Chinese economy experienced during the latter half of 2008 and in 2009, which could continue through 2010, the uncertain regulatory landscape in the People's Republic of China, fluctuations in Sohu's quarterly operating results, Sohu's historical and possible future losses, and its reliance on online advertising sales, online games and wireless services (most wireless revenues are collected from a few mobile network operators) for its revenues. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Sohu's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

    In China:

     Mr. James Deng
     Senior Finance Director
     Sohu.com Inc.
     Phone: +86-10-6272-6596
     Email: [email protected]

     Ms. Cathy Li
     Ogilvy Financial, Beijing
     Phone: +86-10-8520-6104
     Email: [email protected]

    In the United States:

     Ms. Jessica Barist Cohen
     Ogilvy Financial, New York
     Phone: +1-646-460-9989
     Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Sohu.com Inc.