Shanda Interactive Entertainment has granted an exclusive right to Zapak Digital Entertainment for operation of its in-house developed online racing game Crazy Kart in India
Shanda Interactive Entertainment, or Shanda, an interactive entertainment media company in China, announced that it has granted an exclusive right to Zapak Digital Entertainment, or Zapak, for operation of Shanda’s in-house developed online racing game Crazy Kart in India. Zapak is India’s leading full-service gaming company under Reliance Entertainment, which is a subsidiary of Reliance ADA Group, one of India’s three largest privately held companies. Crazy Kart is currently under closed-beta testing in India and is expected to enter commercial operation in the second quarter of 2008.
Crazy Kart was recognized as the No. 1 Casual Game for Teenagers by Ministry of Culture in 2008. Crazy Kart’s cartoon-themed design style and competitive multiplayer game modes have made it a hit among users and earned it praise nationwide. Following previous overseas licensing agreements for Crazy Kart in Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam, Shanda’s latest cooperation with Zapak marks the Company’s entry into the Indian market.
“We are very excited to work with Zapak, India’s top game company, in bringing our high-quality Crazy Kart to Indian users. This marks another importance milestone since we initiate our efforts to explore overseas opportunities last year,” said Qunzhao Tan, President and CTO of Shanda, “Our partnership signifies an alliance between the two leading game companies in China and India, and we are very optimistic about a long-term collaboration going forward.”
“We are proud to partner with Shanda, China’s largest online game company, to create significant inroads in the online game space in India. We believe that based on Shanda’s strength in development and Zapak’s leading position in the Indian market, Crazy Kart will record great success in the future,” said Rajesh Sawhney, President of Reliance Entertainment, “In Zapak’s strategy, the cooperation on Crazy Kart is just the first step of the two parties’ long-term strategic partnership. We look forward to a close releationship with Shanda to bring more entertainment content to the Indian market in the future.”