Shanda Games And Square Enix Announce Strategic Partnership

TOKYO, Sept. 16, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shanda Games Limited ("Shanda Games", or the "Company") (Nasdaq:GAME) and Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd., today announced a strategic partnership that will leverage Square Enix's strong game content with the strength of Shanda Games' broad experience as a leading online game developer, publisher, and operator in mainland China. The partnership starts with an exclusive license in mainland China to FINAL FANTASY® XIV, a massively multi-player online role-playing game and the latest installment of the FINAL FANTASY franchise, which has sold more than 97 million units worldwide. This will be the first release of a FINAL FANTASY franchise title in mainland China.

Square Enix Group has identified globalization as one of its key strategic initiatives and has been developing and offering entertainment content derived from its global network based in Japan, North America and Europe. The partnership with Shanda Games will strengthen Square Enix Group's global business development with a focus on the rapidly-growing Chinese market.

Shanda Games is focused on creating a global online game platform offering the most compelling content and services. On the heels of Shanda Games' other recent successful game launches, the strategic partnership with Square Enix will further advance its strategy to provide high-quality, diverse and innovative game content to Chinese gamers and to expand its user base.

"The media entertainment markets are increasingly becoming more and more global in nature. Under this environment, we are speeding up our globalization strategy aimed at transforming our Group into a truly world-class enterprise," said Yoichi Wada, president and representative director of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. "Through this partnership with Shanda Games, a company with great success in online game operations in China, we are taking an important step in increasing the reach of high quality content from the Square Enix Group to even more customers around the world."