EA buying 19% of The9? They say no.
Several sources, all citing the Shanghai Securities News, were reporting yesterday that EA was planning on purchasing a 19% share of The9, a Chinese MMO company that operates World of Warcraft, Huxley, Guild Wars, and Hellgate London in mainland China. And on GameDaily BIZ, analyst Michael Pachter speculated that ths may have been the first step towards a complete acquisition of The9. However, EA is denying the deal, stating simply, "There is no signed agreement with The9." Of course, EA's denials don't imply that there might not be a deal in the works -- but we'll have to stay tuned to see if there's some truth to this rumor after all.
