以下是来自暴雪官方的消息，这也是暴雪第一次公开表示与第九城市签订了《魔兽世界：燃烧的远征》的运营协议，以下为官方申明。
2007年2月1日，加利福尼亚州尔湾市——今天，暴雪娱乐公司宣布与第九城市签订了中国大陆地区《魔兽世界â：燃烧的远征》™的运营协议。目前第九城市代理暴雪娱乐旗下最受欢迎的大型多人在线角色扮演游戏《魔兽世界》在中国的运营，该款游戏的中国玩家人数已经突破350万。《燃烧的远征》是《魔兽世界》的首部资料片，简体中文版本的汉化工作正在进行当中，有关在中国地区发行该资料片的各项细节将在近几个月内公布。
暴雪与第九城市之间的新协议包含了升级系统硬件至现有《魔兽世界》基础设施需求的相关条款，以为中国玩家确保提供最佳的游戏体验。通过与暴雪全球团队的紧密协作，九城将继续提供在中国大陆地区的社区管理、技术支持和二十四小时全天候的客户服务。九城还将负责游戏卡的发行以及对《魔兽世界》和《燃烧的远征》的中国服务器的管理。
暴雪娱乐公司的总裁兼合作创始人Mike Morhaime称：“我们将竭尽全力以确保中国大陆地区《魔兽世界》的运营将在今后数年中为玩家提供无与伦比的游戏体验。我们希望在该资料片以及将来暴雪公司发行的产品中坚持上述一贯的承诺。”
随着一月中旬在北美、欧洲、澳大利亚、新西兰、新加坡、马来西亚和泰国等地的上市，《魔兽世界：燃烧的远征》一举刷新了电脑游戏的单日销售纪录，在24小时内售出近240万份。目前全世界《魔兽世界》的付费用户超过了800万人。
《魔兽世界》的付费用户定义
《魔兽世界》的用户包括支付订购费用或者已购买预付费卡来进行游戏的个人，以及购买了游戏仍在一个月免费期内的用户。过去三十天内进入游戏的互联网游戏室（网吧）玩家也被视为用户。以上定义不包含免费试用期、过期或取消订购、以及预付费卡过期的用户。代理运营的区域的用户定义规则与此相同。
暴雪娱乐简介
作为威望迪游戏公司的下属公司之一，暴雪娱乐 (www.blizzard.com) 最具震撼力的作品包括《魔兽世界》、《魔兽争霸》、《星际争霸》和《暗黑破坏神》系列。暴雪娱乐是娱乐软件的顶尖开发商和出版商，多款游戏在业界享有盛誉，拥有九款最畅销游戏和多项年度游戏大奖的殊荣。公司同时提供世界上规模最大的免费互联网游戏服务Battle.net®，活跃用户数以百万计。
第九城市简介
第九城市是中国网络游戏运营商中的佼佼者，公司主要业务是为中国网游玩家市场运营并开发大型多人在线角色游戏。第九城市是暴雪娱乐®旗下产品《魔兽世界》®在中国大陆地区运营合作伙伴。此外，九城还直接或通过关联企业运营多款代理的大型多人在线角色游戏及自主研发的大型多人在线角色游戏。
* 基于公司内部纪要和来自主要发行合作方的报告。
英文原文
BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH THE9 FOR OPERATION OF WORLD OF WARCRAFT: THE BURNING CRUSADE™ IN MAINLAND CHINA
IRVINE, Calif. – February 1, 2007 – Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that it has signed an agreement with The9 for the operation of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade™ in mainland China. The9 currently operates Blizzard Entertainment’s critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft, in China, where the game is played by more than 3.5 million subscribers. Localization of The Burning Crusade, Blizzard’s first World of Warcraft expansion, into simplified Chinese is underway, and further details regarding the release of the expansion in China will be announced in the months ahead.
The new agreement between Blizzard and The9 includes provisions for hardware upgrades to the existing World of Warcraft infrastructure to enable the best gaming experience possible for players in China. Working closely with Blizzard’s global teams, The9 will continue providing local community management, technical support and 24/7 in-game customer service. The9 also manages distribution of game cards and the physical hosting of World of Warcraft and The Burning Crusade on local servers.
“We’re fully committed to ensuring that the ongoing operation of World of Warcraft in mainland China will provide an excellent experience for players there for many years to come,” said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We look forward to extending that commitment with this expansion as well as with future Blizzard releases.”
Launched in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand in mid January, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade smashed the day-one sales record for PC games, selling nearly 2.4 million copies within its first 24 hours of availability.* World of Warcraft is played by more than 8 million subscribers worldwide.
World of Warcraft’s Subscriber Definition
World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees’ territories are defined along the same rules.
About Blizzard Entertainment
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard’s track record includes nine #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s free Internet gaming service, Battle.net®, reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users.
About The9 Limited
The9 Limited is a leading online game operator in China. The9’s business is primarily focused on operating and developing MMORPGs for the Chinese online game players market. The company is partnered with Blizzard Entertainment® for the operation of Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft® in mainland China. Furthermore, The9 directly or through affiliates operates multiple additional licensed MMORPGs, as well as its own proprietary MMORPG, in China.
*Based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.
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