Chinese online game operator The9 has acquired a minority stake in Korean developer G10 in exchange for an investment of approximately $38 million.
G10 is best known for Audition, a hugely popular online title in Korea and China. "The9’s equity investment in G10 will strengthen the existing partnership between the two companies and further motivate G10 to provide the best support to The9’s operation of Audition 2 in mainland China," said The9 CEO Jun Zhu.
Kee Young Kim, CEO of G10, added: "The9’s outstanding game operation expertise will be a huge advantage in bringing G10’s products to the growing Chinese online game market. We also look forward to learning from The9’s valuable experience gleaned from the day-to-day operation in the local market, and integrating the ideas and suggestions from The9 into our game development process.
"Our people and teams at G10 are empowered to continue delivering high-quality game products and providing our best support to Audition 2, our prize product to be operated by The9 in mainland China."