BEIJING, May 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES), one of China's leading Internet and online game services providers, has announced plans to introduce a host of new PC and mobile games. The announcement was made at NetEase's inaugural "5/20 Game Enthusiasts' Day," held on May 20, 2015 in Beijing, China. The event celebrated 15 years of gamers' passion for NetEase games with major highlights from the Company's flagship titles and recent successes on both PC and mobile platforms.
A key component of NetEase's mobile game strategy is a focus on mobile games based on the Company's acclaimed self-developed franchises, such as Fantasy Westward Journey and Tianxia. Since its launch in late March of this year, the Fantasy Westward Journey mobile game has successfully gained the No. 1 top grossing app spot in the iOS China app store and recently reached a new record peak concurrent user count of 2 million. Building further on this success, NetEase announced that it is developing Fantasy Westward Journey: Warriors, an exciting mobile action adventure game, and The X-World, an action-packed mobile ARPG game from the Tianxia universe. NetEase also plans to introduce original mobile games such as a cartoon-style side-scrolling mobile game called Fairy Tales: The World of the Brave and a history-themed mobile game called 100 Heroes.
The Company revealed that a number of licensed mobile games are in the works also, including the highly popular 3D RPG Kai-ri-sei Million Arthur from SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. and 3D multiplayer ARPG Chronoblade from U.S. game developers nWay. NetEase also intends to bring back the Richman franchise with Richman 9, in partnership with Softstar Entertainment Inc. Moreover, the Company discussed plans to develop several mobile titles based on famous works from other media, such as Kung Fu Panda, to be developed in a strategic partnership with Oriental DreamWorks, Warner Brothers' classic Tom and Jerry, well-known Chinese writer Jingming Guo's Tiny Times novels, and Gu Long's popular series of martial arts novels.
The event moreover featured the Company's forthcoming plans for PC games. Open beta testing of Hegemon-King of Western Chu was announced to commence on May 21, 2015. Two new PC games under development, 3D action MOBA Wildfire and real-time battle action The War, were highlighted for their unique twists on classic game genres. NetEase also declared its intention to publish free, online manga and anime based on NetEase's existing PC game franchises.
"We are thrilled to host this exclusive event for gamers and excited to showcase the major game titles that we have been working on. The game industry in China is thriving, and our strategy to introduce new best-in-class and diverse mobile and PC games continues to delight our growing community of players. By establishing May 20 as 'Game Enthusiasts' Day,' we are providing a forum for celebrating gamers, and we expect this annual conference to become one of the most influential events in China's gaming industry," said Mr. William Ding, Chief Executive Officer and Director of NetEase.
About NetEase, Inc.
NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES) is a leading Internet technology company in China. Dedicated to providing online services centered around content, community, communication and commerce, NetEase develops and operates some of China's most successful online PC and mobile games, advertising services, e-mail services and e-commerce platforms. In partnership with Blizzard Entertainment, NetEase also operates some of the most popular international online games in China. For more information, please visit: http://ir.netease.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. The accuracy of these statements may be impacted by a number of business risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated, including risks related to: the risk that the online game market will not continue to grow or that NetEase will not be able to maintain its leading position in that market, which could occur if, for example, its new PC and mobile games or expansion packs and other improvements to its existing games do not become as popular as management anticipates; the ability of NetEase to successfully expand its mobile Internet offerings; the ability of NetEase to effectively market its games and other services and achieve a positive return on its marketing expenditures; the risk that Shanghai EaseNet will not be able to continue operating World of Warcraft®, StarCraft® II, Hearthstone®:Heroes of Warcraft™, Diablo® III: Reaper of Souls™, Heroes of the Storm™ or other games licensed by it for a period of time or permanently due to possible governmental actions or the risk that such games will not be popular with game players in China; the risk that changes in Chinese government regulation of the online game market and the market for NetEase's e-commerce services may limit future growth of NetEase's revenues or cause revenues to decline; competition in the online advertising business and the risk that investments by NetEase in its content and services may not increase the appeal of the NetEase websites among Internet users or result in increased advertising revenues; the risk that NetEase may not be able to continuously develop new and creative online services, including its ability to maintain and enhance the popularity of its e-mail, mobile and e-commerce services and develop attractive mobile games; the risk that NetEase will not be able to control its expenses in future periods; competition in NetEase's existing and potential markets; governmental uncertainties (including possible changes in the effective tax rates applicable to NetEase and its subsidiaries and affiliates and the ability of NetEase to receive and maintain approvals of the preferential tax treatments and general competition and price pressures in the marketplace); the risk that fluctuations in the value of the Renminbi with respect to other currencies could adversely affect NetEase's business and financial results; and other risks outlined in NetEase's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. NetEase does not undertake any obligation to update this forward-looking information, except as required under the applicable law.
Contact for Media and Investors:
Cassia Curran
NetEase, Inc.
cassia@corp.netease.com
Tel: (+86) 571-8985-2076
Brandi Piacente
Investor Relations
brandi@corp.netease.com
Tel: (+1) 212-481-2050
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SOURCE NetEase, Inc.
