Wayi International Digital Entertainment Co (華義國際), an Internet gaming provider, said yesterday it plans to launch an online game in China early next year as its first step in exploring the huge Chinese market.
“We will sell the company’s first and only self-designed online game — 81 Keys Online — in China through China Huaxi Group’s distribution network,” a Wayi spokeswoman said.
Wayi has signed an agreement with S F Soft, a newly funded unit of the China Huaxi Group set up to distribute the game in China.
China Huaxi Group, headquartered in Jiangsu Province, operates a wide range of businesses including steel, textile and petrochemical plants. It set up S F Soft in May to enter the online gaming market.
“Under the agreement, Wayi will receive handsome royalties from the licensing, which is expected to boost the company’s bottom line,” the spokeswoman said.
She declined to disclose the amount.
81 Keys Online is an adventure story in which several characters, including Ruru, a dwarf from a fantasy land, amphibious people and human beings, compete to collect 81 magical “keys of fate.”
The spokeswoman said S F Soft plans to pour more than NT$70 million (US$2.2 million) into marketing the game.
Wayi first launched the game in Taiwan at the end of 2008 and attracted as many as 30,000 users to play the game last year.
The company said the average number of simultaneous players was about 7,000.
In May, Wayi licensed YNK Japan to distribute 81 Keys Online in Japan, and the spokeswoman said the product has received a warm welcome there.
Wayi posted NT$10.14 million in net profits last year, up 79 percent from a year earlier.
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