Shanda (SNDA) has entered into an agreement with Chinese game developer JoyChina for an exclusive license to operate a 3D advanced casual game entitled Kong-Fu Masters globally, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan.

"It's the first game we licensed from a Chinese game developer. We are excited to have licensed a game of such high quality," said Tianqiao Chen, CEO of Shanda. "We believe Kong-Fu Masters is a game rich in Chinese cultural content which makes us confident in its global publishing potential and ability to attract a broad user base at home and abroad. Supported by Shanda's strong marketing and operating platform, we believe Kong-Fu Masters has excellent prospects for success. To best serve our customers, we will continue to add more high quality game titles to our platform."

The game is expected to enter open-beta testing in China at the end of 2006. Kong-Fu Masters is a martial arts fighting game featuring a cast of well-known characters from Chinese folklore and history including the Monkey King and Mulan.

"As one of the first game developers of casual games in China, we are honored that our in-house developed game Kong-Fu Masters will be operated by Shanda and is praised by an internationally renowned game developer," said Chenghong Xie, president of JoyChina. "We will continue to develop high quality games and are dedicated to becoming a world class game developer."