World of Warcraft(R): The Burning Crusade Surpasses 800,000 Peak Concurrent User Milestone in Mainland China

    SHANGHAI, China, Oct. 4 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The9 Limited (Nasdaq:  
 NCTY) ("The9") and Blizzard Entertainment(R) ("Blizzard") today announced
 that Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft(R), the subscription-based
 Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) has achieved record
 peak concurrency of 800,000, highest concurrency since the game's
 commercial launch in June 2005, after launching its new expansion pack,
 "The Burning Crusade", in mainland China on September 6, 2007.
     We observed that numerous existing players return to or play more of
 the World of Warcraft(R) game after the launch of The Burning Crusade new
 expansion and new players have also been attracted to join. In the field of
 3D MMORPG, the World of Warcraft(R) game is now in a leading position again
 and has written a new chapter to mainland China's online game history.
     World of Warcraft(R): The Burning Crusade is the exciting new expansion
 to Blizzard's award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game.
 It expands the game by tremendous bounds, adding new races, lands,
 Battlegrounds, professions, items, and many more features.
     About The9 Limited
     The9 Limited is a leading online game operator in China. The9's
 business is primarily focused on operating and developing high-quality
 games for the Chinese online game market. The9 directly or through
 affiliates operates licensed MMORPGs, consisting of MU(R), Blizzard
 Entertainment(R)'s World of Warcraft(R), Soul of The Ultimate Nation(TM),
 and its first proprietary MMORPG, Joyful Journey West(TM), in mainland
 China. It has also obtained exclusive licenses to operate additional
 MMORPGs and advanced casual games in mainland China, including Granado
 Espada, Guild Wars, Hellgate: London, Ragnarok Online 2, Emil Chronicle
 Online, Huxley(TM), FIFA Online, Audition 2, Field of Honor and Audition.
 In addition, The9 is also developing two proprietary MMORPG games,
 Fantastic Melody Online(TM) and Ming Jiang San Guo.
     Safe Harbor Statement
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 are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities
 Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be
 identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates,"
 "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar
 statements. Among other things, the business outlook and quotations from
 management in this press release contain forward-looking statements. The9
 may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic
 reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Forms 20-F and
 6-K, etc., in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and
 other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers,
 directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical
 facts, including statements about The9's beliefs and expectations, are
 forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent
 risks and uncertainties. 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, The9's limited operating history as an online game operator, political
 and economic policies of the Chinese government, the laws and regulations
 governing the online game industry, information disseminated over the
 Internet and Internet content providers in China, intensified government
 regulation of Internet cafes, The9's ability to retain existing players and
 attract new players, license, develop or acquire additional online games
 that are appealing to users, anticipate and adapt to changing consumer
 preferences and respond to competitive market conditions, and other risks
 and uncertainties outlined in The9's filings with the U.S. Securities and
 Exchange Commission, including its annual reports on Form 20-F. The9 does
 not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement,
 except as required under applicable law.
     For further information, please contact:
 
     Ms. Dahlia Wei
     Senior Manager, Investor Relations
     The9 Limited
     Tel:   +86-21-5172-9990
     Email: IR@corp.the9.com
     Website: http://www.corp.the9.com/
 
 

SOURCE The9 Limited