Beautiful Game Studios/Shanda Games deal
Championship Manager on its way to China.
LONDON (September 2010) – Beautiful Game Studios, a part of Square Enix Europe, today announced a strategic partnership with Shanda Games Limited, a leading online game publisher and operator in China.
“Football is hugely popular in China, especially the European teams, so we are delighted to be partnering with one the biggest entertainment companies in the world to bring the Championship Manager brand to Chinese gamers and football fans. Working closely with Eidos Shanghai, our studio in China, we have already commenced on a co-development project with Shanda Games and have been impressed by their scope and understanding of our brand.” said Roy Meredith, Beautiful Game Studios General Manager. “I believe this is the perfect match for our ambition and strategic direction for the future of the Championship Manager franchise and I’m excited by the potential of this partnership.”
Working closely together, Beautiful Game Studios and Shanda Games will explore opportunities to introduce the Championship Manager brand into China, building on Shanda Games’ great knowledge of their market and highly professional operation.
“We are very excited to launch this partnership with Square Enix and Beautiful Game Studios,” said Alan Tan, CEO of Shanda Games. “Beautiful Game Studios has a rich heritage in football simulation game development. The Championship Manager brand’s pedigree has grown impressively from year-to-year since it hooked its first fans in the China market over a decade ago. We believe this newly forged partnership will deliver football game content that will satisfy the most demanding devotees while attracting new ones from the deep pool of football aficionados in China.”
About Beautiful Game Studios
Beautiful Game Studios is the developer behind the renowned Championship Manager series publishing across multiple platforms including PSP ® , iPhone, PC and more. Focused on bringing the most popular sport in the world to consumers across multiplatforms utilising new and innovative technology. More information on Beautiful Game Studios can be found at: www.championshipmanager.com or to get a behind the scenes look follow us on twitter @ www.twitter.com/champman or become a fan at www.facebook.com/championshipmanager
About Shanda Games Limited
Shanda Games Limited (Nasdaq:GAME) is a leading online game developer, operator and publisher in China. Shanda Games offers a diversified game portfolio, which includes some of the most popular massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) and advanced casual games in China, targeting a large and diverse community of users. Shanda Games manages and operates online games that are developed in-house, co-developed with world-leading game developers, acquired through investments or licensed from third parties. For more information about Shanda Games, please visit http://www.shandagames.com
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About Square Enix Ltd.
Square Enix Ltd., a part of the Square Enix Europe business unit, is a London-based wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd., a holding company leading the Square Enix Group. Square Enix Ltd. publishes and distributes entertainment content under the Square Enix Group’s internationally renowned brands such as Square Enix, Eidos and Taito in Europe and other PAL territories. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as IO Interactive TM , Crystal Dynamics ® and Eidos Montréal. The Square Enix Group boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY ® , which has sold over 97 million units worldwide, DRAGON QUEST ® which has sold over 54 million units worldwide and TOMB RAIDER ® which has sold over 35 million units worldwide, together with other well established products and services.
More information on Square Enix Ltd. can be found on the Internet at http://www.square-enix.com
DRAGON QUEST, FINAL FANTASY, SQUARE ENIX and the SQUARE ENIX logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. in the United Kingdom and/or other countries. TAITO is a trademark or registered trademark of Taito Corporation. Championship Manager 2010, the Championship Manager logo, Beautiful Game Studios, EIDOS, TOMB RAIDER, IO INTERACTIVE, and CRYSTAL DYNAMICS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Square Enix Ltd. in the United Kingdom and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Square Enix Limited is a company registered in England & Wales under the number 1804186 whose registered office is Wimbledon Bridge House, 1 Hartfield Road, Wimbledon, London, SW19 3RU