The9 Limited (Nasdaq: NCTY) ("The9"), a leading online game operator and developer in China, today announced that it will start the close beta test of Audition 2 very soon.

Ms. Xiaowei Chen, President of The9 Limited, commented: "We recently entered a joint venture agreement with T3 Entertainment to deepen our partnership in development and publishing of new games, including Audition 2. This join venture facilitates tighter cooperation and communication regarding Audition 2's pre-launch preparation, enabling us to bring the healthiest youthful game to Chinese players. It also gives us more confidence in keeping our launch schedule. We will begin Close Beta Test of 'Audition 2' very soon, to satisfy the eager anticipation of dance game players."

Audition 2 is the sequel to Audition, a 3D leisure dancing online competition game with rich music elements. The Audition series are session-based casual games enabling players to compete against each other for their game characters'dancing skills during the length of a certain song as well as showing-off their virtual appearance and accessories. Apart from the enjoyment aspect of game-play itself, socialization and identity comprise a major part of the games. Audition, which has been in operation for more than two years in mainland China, currently enjoys a high popularity with over 780,000 peak concurrent users, according to a news release by the game's China operator. Audition 2, with a lot of enhanced features and more community-oriented functions, is also expected to be popular in the mainland China market.

About The9 Limited

The9 Limited is a leading online game operator in China. The9's business is primarily focused on operating and developing high-quality games for the Chinese online game players market. The9 directly or through affiliates operates licensed MMORPGs, consisting of MU,Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft, Soul of The Ultimate Nation,and its first proprietary MMORPG, Joyful Journey West, in mainland China. It has also obtained exclusive licenses to operate additional MMORPGs and advanced casual games in China, including Granado Espada,Guild Wars, Hellgate: London, Ragnarok Online 2, Emil Chronicle Online,Huxley and FIFA Online.In addition,The9 is also working on the development of a 3D fantasy MMORPG game, Fantasy Melody Online.