According to reports in local Chinese media, Chinese online game operators The9 and Kingsoft have reached a cooperation to jointly operate JX3 Online, an online game developed by Kingsoft.
This news comes weeks after The9's primary revenue generator, World of Warcraft, was taken away from the company and given to rival NetEase.com in a move that shook the online gaming world in China.
JX3 Online is developed by Kingsoft's Season Studio under the leadership of Qiu Bojun, chairman and CEO of Kingsoft. With five years' development, the game is currently undergoing a beta test and is expected to be launched in the second quarter this year.
After losing the operating rights of World of Warcraft, JX3 Online has become the new target of The9. Prior to this, Kingsoft jointly operated an online game with Shanda, which lay a foundation for the cooperation between The9 and Kingsoft. Qiu also told local media that Kingsoft will be glad to jointly operate online games with other operators.
In mid-May this year, The9's president Chen Xiaowei, formally head of China.com, reportedly visited Kingsoft's research and development base in Zhuhai and talked with Qiu about the cooperation on JX3 Online. After that, Kingsoft's executives also visited The9's Shanghai headquarters to make further negotiation and the two sides reached an intent for initial cooperation.