The publisher The9 Limited has recently acquired the licensing rights for a sequel to Tencent's popular free-to-play FPS game Cross Fire.
The company has stated that the joint venture it entered into with Oriental Shiny Star Limit has reached a deal with the developer of Cross Fire, Smilegate. It grants The9 Limited exclusive publishing and operation rights in mainland China for a five-year window length of time.
They will pay $50 million to the Korean-based studio at the outset of the deal and will pay up to another $450 million in royalty payments and bonuses based on the achievement of specified development and operational milestones of the sequel.
Cross Fire boasts 500 million players across the world and it also currently holds the world record for the most players online concurrently in a single game at over 6 million.
