Editorial Summary

Chinese online game operator The9 (Nasdaq: NCTY) announced on Monday that it has received the license for multiplayer online game Hellgate: London in mainland China from Korean publisher Hanbitsoft. The9 agreed to pay a total of US$5 million in license fees plus royalties equal to 21 percent of the retail value of the prepaid game cards or a total of US$30 million over the 3-year license period. Hellgate: London was developed by Flagship Studios and is published by Hanbitsoft in Asia except Japan. Hanbitsoft is also the publisher for Granado Espada, another game licensed by The9.

Hellgate: London is a first person shooter (FPS) role playing game set in post-apocalyptic, demon-infested London. The game is similar to the popular PC game Diablo and dynamically generates maps for each mission. Hellgate: London is not a traditional MMORPG and has both single player missions and multiplayer online elements.