Ejoy Technology, a game developper founded by NetEase’s former COO Zhan Zhonghui, reportedly secured nearly 100 million yuan ($16.22 million) of financing from IDG (report in Chinese).
The company has previously launched Kuangdao, a 2.5D full keyboard fighting game in 2012. The funding raised this time will be poured into the research and development of 3D massively multiplayer online role playing games. Ejoy has purchased the adaptation right of the fantasy novel Soul Land (not official translation), a short-term focus of the company, with 5 million yuan.
Soul Land is written by Tangjia Sanshao (Zhang Wei), a poplar writer on China’s leading literature platform Qidian.com, whose works have been visited for more than 60 million times. The large audience secured by the original novel will guarantee the users and revenues of the online game adaptation. Several successful cases of online game adaptation of fantasy novels include Perfect World’s Zhuxian, Shanda’s Guichuideng OL and Changyou’s Doupocangqiong.
Zhan Zhonghui established Ejoy with Wu Yunyang, leading developer of NetEase’s two flagship games namely Westward Journey Online and Fantasy Westward Journey, after leaving NetEase in 2011.