July 30, 2009
Shanda Games and SNK Playmore Announce Co-Development of KOF WORLD
Shanghai, China – July 30, 2009 – Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited (the “Company”) (NasdaqGS: SNDA), a leading interactive entertainment media company in China, announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary Shanda Games Limited (“Shanda Games”) has entered into an agreement with SNK Playmore Corporation (“SNK Playmore”), a Japanese game developer, to co-develop THE KING OF FIGHTERS’ WORLD (“KOF WORLD”), which is an online version of SNK Playmore’s flagship game THE KING OF FIGHTERS (“KOF”). Under the agreement, Shanda Games will be granted the right to operate KOF WORLD in mainland China and a number of other countries.
KOF WORLD is adapted from THE KING OF FIGHTERS XII (“KOF XII”), the latest installment of SNK Playmore’s KOF franchise. In addition to porting the main game content of KOF XII to an online platform, KOF WORLD will also combine traditional fighting game and MMORPG features by adding a complete multiplayer role playing game (RPG) mode. The RPG part of KOF WORLD will be customized for the Chinese market by including scenes of Shanghai, Xi'an, Beijing and other Chinese cities in the game.
“KOF is a fighting franchise with 15 years of history, and we are excited to partner with SNK Playmore on the game’s online version,” said Ms. Diana Li, CEO of Shanda Games. “SNK Playmore has very strong expertise in fighting and action genres. The partnership between Shanda Games and SNK Playmore combines and leverages our strengths in game development and operation. With the original KOF feel and rich RPG content, we believe KOF WORLD will be a very exciting online game.”
“We are very pleased to work with Shanda Games and very optimistic about the prospects of our partnership,” said Mr. Soichiro Hosoya, President of SNK Playmore. “We are honored that the KOF series has always been favored by Chinese game players, and KOF WORLD is a game that we will work closely together with Shanda Games to develop, especially for Chinese players. We look forward to the game’s continued success.”
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness;
-- Charles Dickens
