Shanda and Trion Worlds take Rift to China

Trion Worlds and Shanda games have signed a deal to release fantasy MMO Rift in China.

"We are delighted to bring Rift, Trion Worlds' much-acclaimed award-winning title, to China," said Mr. Alan Tan, Chairman and CEO of Shanda Games.

"Rift offers an adventurous online world with fantastic dynamic content and stunning graphics and has attracted many devoted fans worldwide. Based on our experience and expertise in the China market, we are excited about the upcoming launch of Rift to our broad gamer audience and are confident in the success of Rift in the China market."

Shanda, which knows its way around the Chinese MMO market, will localise the title for Mandarin speakers and expand its global reach. Rift was released to Western markets in March 2011, and over a million players created active accounts in just four months.

"Our collaboration with Shanda is a huge step for Western premium games in China and we are proud Trion is at the forefront, setting the standard once again," added Trion Worlds' Lars Buttler.

"The appetite for great, new original game experiences like Rift, that disrupt the existing paradigm of traditional gaming, is universal.  Shanda, with proven track record of localizing and delivering content, is the best publisher for Trion to offer gamers in mainland China an authentic Rift experience."

It's clearly good news for Trion Worlds, who already started 2012 positively with $85 million in fundingin January. The company also plans to take Rift to South Korea by June.