p2pnet news view | Games:- Chinese online games operator NetEase.com is the victor in the battle it’s been waging against The9 for possession of Activision Blizzard’s WoW.

“Last year NetEase teamed up with Blizzard Entertainment to license and operate titles in China,” p2pnet recently quoted Research Oracle as saying, going on:

“The increasing number of Internet users and improving quality of games in China has provided growth potential for the online game industry and NetEase.”

Blizzard’s StarCraft II is expected to be launched soon, “to be operated in China by NetEase,” says the story.

Then, “We believe NTES is trying to take over operation of World of Warcraft from NCTY [The9], when the contract between NCTY and Blizzard expires in June 2009,” saidTian Hou on Pali Research.

“We also believe NTES is purchasing servers worth about RMB250M [about $36,592,614] from local vendors, which may be used to run WoW.”

Now, “Chinese online games operator NetEase.com Inc said on Thursday it had won the licence to host Activision Blizzard’s popular role-playing game World of Warcraft for three years in mainland China,” says Reuters, adding:

“World of Warcraft’s current licence is owned by rival The9 Ltd and is set to expire on June 8.

“Shares of The9 plunged 25 percent on Wednesday after Chinese media said it had lost the licence.”

Blizzard Entertainment CEO Mike Morhaime is quoted by China state news agency Xinhua as saying the deal with NetEase will, “help attain its business goals for years to come, and is looking forward to a smooth transition for WoW,” noting, “The public relation department with The9 Limited refused to comment on the issue,” adding »»»

Zhao Xufeng, an analyst with iResearch Consulting Group, said that The9 Limited is doomed to see a drop in revenue, client numbers and its stock price when it concludes the operation of WoW in China’s mainland.

NetEase probably has high expectation for cooperation with Blizzard Entertainment in the future, while for the time being they focus on building reputation and a client base, according to Zhao.

NetEase and Blizzard Entertainment previously announced a partnership over Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft III, StarCraft II and Battle.net online service last summer.

Now you know.

p2pnet – The9 and NetEase battle for WoW, March 27, 2009
Research Oracle – NetEase to survive current economic slump, March 18, 2009
Pali Research – Netease and The9 are Fighting Over WoW, March 26, 2009
Reuters – NetEase wins licence to host World of Warcraft, April 16, 2009
Xinhua – NetEase to partner with Blizzard Entertainment on World of Warcraft, April 16, 2009