Meet the first ever professional Firefall cosplayer, Crystal Graziano, who will be playing Mourningstar at all the 2012 events for Firefall.

Meet the new Typhon, Lee Reherman, and see the completed suit for Crystal Graziano’s Mourningstar.

Just last week, Red 5 Studios confirmed a USD 23 million and record-breaking deal with Garena for Firefall in 7 Asian countries, spanning a total of 6 years. Not much was written about the man behind the deal, Mr Tony Park, who was the main architect in making this possible. Korean game website ThisIsGame.com speaks with him, a Korean who is fluent in both English and Chinese. Please note that not all questions and answers are translated.

Garena Firefall

A: The strategic plans for China and Korea is not confirmed yet, hence we accelerated the deal for these regions once Garena showed interest in Firefall.

A: We held discussions with Garena about the many online shooters in the region, and noted popular titles such as Special Force, Point Blank, Black Shot (under Garena) and Cross Fire. Firefall will stand out because of its additional large-scale PvE content, hence it will be different from other FPS. Garena also held this difference in high regards, hence the deal was signed. We feel that Firefall will have its own player base and stand alongside other FPS in the market.

A: Other than its interest, Garena is also the publisher for League of Legends in the region. In less than a month of launch in Taiwan, the CCU went over 100,000 players, making it the number one title in the country. In the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, the game did well in player numbers as well, perhaps one of the top 2 games there.

From what we have seen, Garena’s Black Shot in Singapore and Malaysia also reached a record number of players. The company’s founder is a fan of e-Sports and competitive gaming, knowing details of Firefall since it was announced.

A: It is hard to say which company communicated about the possible deal first. It happened last June, when we visited some game companies in Taiwan and we paid a visit to Garena over there as well. It happened that Garena had interest in Firefall, but did not know which side to contact, Red 5 Studios or Webzen.

A: After meeting them in Taiwan, our teams subsequently met at PAX, ChinaJoy and the recent G*Star in Korea. Garena sent a number of their folks to G*Star to try out the game. Red 5 did not have a Business to Business counter, hence they had to queue up like the rest of the visitors to try the game out. After that, Garena and us discussed about the deal.

A: Yes, you can say that G*Star actually helped. Earlier in July, the conflict with Webzen was not resolved yet, hence Garena could only stand at the side and observe the proceedings. Then on October 21st, we set up Red 5 Singapore, and in November Garena’s CEO paid us a visit after G*Star 2011 ended. The talks to finalize the deal lasted 3 days.

A: The correct term for the rights is “other than North America and Europe”. Before acquiring back, we weren’t able to talk to potential overseas partners. That was a sensitive period in terms of the law, which was known throughout the gaming industry.

A: Yes, Webzen will be getting a share of the profits, including some of the USD 23 million which was just signed.

A: The last time I did this was a long time ago *laughs*. Perhaps that is the reason I decided to attend. But in actual fact, Garena’s CEO was there for the signing as well, I had to show my sincerity. Firefall is a very important game to us, but I did the negotiations with my business team as well, not just me alone.

A: To be honest, luck plays a part. The hard work for me is to understand our own titles and understand the companies we are dealing with. We have to know what their concerns are and provide them with answers and whatever information they need. Once done, we can all settle down and discuss a deal. Having a playable build over at the previous conventions helped the deal as well.

A: If you are not part of the development team, one of the founders or an investor in the company, it will be hard to become the company’s representative. The gaming industry is still young, hence there are not many people in the industry who have reached the retirement age yet.

A: I am currently considering a new setup in the company. From our pool of Game Masters, we will handpick a few and groom them to work in the business or product planning departments. I think this is the only way to ensure they are still in the industry after 50 years old.

To people outside, my advise given to my own staff as well is to work on on everything, no matter how easy or hard the task is. I may look like a Superman on surface, but I am a very hardworking man as well. I don’t think I am smarter than people, hence I work every of the smaller tasks to perfection.

SOURCE

You might have noticed that our website had a bunch of changes specially the theme. We wanted it to look more presentable now so hopefully you liked it. You might also notice that there’s a lot of pages that have been missing because basically they aren’t ready yet and pretty messed up but we’ll have them up soon. If you happen to see any broken images due to the automatic generation of images in the current theme in some posts please don’t hesitate to contact us through our Facebook Page or in the Exitializ Portal.

Garena strikes deal to distribute highly anticipated team-based shooter game in Southeast Asia and Taiwan for US$23 million

Singapore – November 28, 2011. Red 5 Singapore Pte. Ltd. (“Red 5 Singapore”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of The9 Limited (NASDAQ: NCTY) (“The9”), today announced that its highly anticipated team-based shooter game, Firefall, is licensed to Garena Online Private Limited (“Garena”) for distribution across Southeast Asia and Taiwan. The agreement is for a term of six years, during which Garena will pay Red 5 Singapore US$23 million, plus royalties, for the exclusive right to distribute Firefall to game players in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong and the Philippines, and is an important step in the global rollout of Firefall. This collaboration between The9, Red 5 Singapore and Garena is expected to deliver enhanced outreach of Firefall in these markets, as well as an unrivaled gaming experience.

Mr. Zhu Jun, CEO of Red 5 Singapore, and CEO and Chairman of The9 said, “This agreement is not merely a good start, we view it as an exciting leap forward. Together with Garena, we will deliver Firefall into the hands of eager Asian gamers. When we entered Singapore, we made a commitment to deliver an incredible gaming experience to customers across Asia, and this partnership brings us closer to fulfilling that promise. This license marks a great milestone for The9, Red 5 Singapore and Garena. Now we will turn our attention to China, Korea and Japan.”

Mr. Mark Kern, CEO of Red 5 Studios, Inc., the developer of Firefall, said, “It’s great to see everything progressing across all territories. Red 5 Studios just finished off the year with a fantastic show at G*Star in Korea and we’ve once again been thrilled by everyone’s response to Firefall. There are a lot of fans anticipating Firefall’s launch and the license to Garena makes it possible for us to deliver.”

Mr. Forrest Li, CEO of Garena said, “Our mission is to bring world- wide reputable AAA quality games to millions of gamers of Garena community — the largest gamer community in the region. We believe Firefall is such a game that will redefine the online game experience. We are very excited for this partnership and we will be working closely with The9 and Red5 to provide Garena users with the best possible gaming environment for Firefall.”

The deal establishes an impressive precedent for licensing AAA games in Southeast Asia at US$23 million including licensing fees and minimum guarantees.

About The9 Limited
The9 Limited is an online game operator and developer in China. The9 directly, or through affiliates, operates licensed massively multiplayer online role playing games, or MMORPGs, including Soul of The Ultimate Nation™, Atlantica and Kingdom Heroes 2 Online, as well as its proprietary MMORPGs and web and social games including World of Fighter, Winning Goal and Q Jiang San Guo, in mainland China. It has also obtained exclusive licenses to operate other games in mainland China, including Seoyugi, Rosh, Free Realms and Planetside 2. In addition, The9 is developing various proprietary games, including Shen Xian Zhuan, FireFall, Era Zero and other MMORPGs and web and social games. In 2010, The9 established its Mobile Internet Unit to focus on mobile internet business.

About Red 5 Studios, Inc.
Red 5 Studios is an online game developer located in California, founded by Mark Kern, former team lead for World of Warcraft. Red 5 Studios is dedicated to bringing together millions of gamers across the world by creating immersive worlds, intriguing stories and compelling characters. It believes that online games and persistent worlds are the future of video games. For more information, please visit www.red5studios.com.

About Garena Online Private Limited
Garena is a leading online game service provider. Its flagship online game platform, Garena+, is the largest social platform in South East Asia and Taiwan, designed for online gamers to meet, chat and play games with each other. Garena has introduced the latest premium online games on Garena+, including the award-winning League of Legends and other premium game titles, such as first-person shooter game Black Shot and real-time strategy game Heroes of Newerth. For more information, please visit www.garena.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar statements. The9 may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Forms 20-F and 6-K, etc., in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about The9’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, political and economic policies of the Chinese government, the laws and regulations governing the online game industry, information disseminated over the Internet and Internet content providers in China, intensified government regulation of Internet cafes, The9’s ability to retain existing players and attract new players, license, develop or acquire additional online games that are appealing to users, anticipate and adapt to changing consumer preferences and respond to competitive market conditions, and other risks and uncertainties outlined in The9’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual reports on Form 20-F. The9 does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

SOURCE

Red 5 Studios in Korea have just showcased this newest trailer video of their anticipated game, Firefall. They have also prepared a bunch of stations for their exhibit attendees with a massive tryouts and tournament. So, here’s the latest trailer video of Firefall.

LINK

Firefall is one of the most anticipated games in ChinaJoy 2011. Red5 Studio also wants to make a big show for the online FPS game, and they’ve confirmed that there will be a splendid booth, playable demos, and $1 million USD worth of Firefall statues.

The booth features many Firefall elements and its center is the trial area. According to Red5′s CEO Mark Kern, they will present Chinese audience an authentic American style gaming booth.

SOURCE

…and the Firefall ChinaJoy 2011 Trailer

Michael Bross and Boon Sim sit down to talk about sound design and music in Firefall.

Mark Kern and Adam McMahon discuss the story of Firefall and introduce a celebrity writer to the project. A few other big announcements are made along the way. Enjoy.

As a sign of appreciation to all who liked Firefall on Facebook, Red 5 is giving us a Sneak Peek for the new areas that they are working on.