Paynova Teams up with Ninjas in Pyjamas Entering the Chinese Online Gaming Market
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Press release Stockholm, 2 March 2006 Paynova teams up with Ninjas in Pyjamas entering the Chinese online gaming market The Swedish e-sport team Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) today launches a new Chinese e-commerce site, selling merchandise and game related hardware on the Chinese market. Paynova’s international account-based payment service is integrated in the new NiP e- commerce site, giving members, fans and other visitors the option of obtaining a safe and secure account for Internet transactions and fund transfers. Online gaming, or e-sports, is not currently a thriving industry in Sweden and Europe. However in China alone, there are already almost 33 million online gamers, and the market is growing rapidly. Revenues from the online gaming industry in China are estimated at US$580 million, and are expected to grow to US$1.7 billion in 2010. Teamed up with the successful Swedish e-sport team Ninjas in Pyjamas, NiP, Paynova is now taking the first step into the enormous Chinese e-sports market. Paynova’s experience from the European gaming market, and the company’s partnership with NiP has resulted in optimized payment services for online gaming. Paynova offers an account based service that handles micro payments, subscriptions, and payments from within the game, co-registration and single sign-on as well as a payment guarantee. This cost effective solution complies with all the key requirements of the online gaming industry in a secure and simple way and is Visa AIS and MasterCard SDP compliant. − We look forward to this venture with Paynova in entering the fiercely competitive Chinese market. This market has huge potential for us and we see great opportunities in collaborating with Paynova whose payment service is becoming increasingly adapted to the Chinese market. NiP already has a unique position in Chinese online gaming, and we will now continue to expand the brand together with our trusted partner, Paynova, says Peter Hedlund, CEO, Ninjas in Pyjamas. NiP is one of the world’s most successful e-sport teams, with both World Cup and Olympic Game victories. NiP now has more than 20 000 registered fans in China and the tournaments are shown live on TV in the country. NiP creates revenues through membership fees and selling merchandise and game related hardware such as keyboards and headsets. − Ninjas in Pyjamas is as much of a household name in the Chinese gaming community as the sports legend Jan-Ove Waldner was as a table tennis player. China has millions of fans following the team’s progress over the Internet. The growth of the e-sports market is enormous. Taking the first steps into this market together with one of the biggest and most famous e-sport teams is truly exhilarating, says Karl Alberts, head of marketing and sales at Paynova. For further information, please contact: Karl Alberts, Marketing and Sales Manager, Paynova Peter Hedlund, CEO, Ninjas in Pyjamas Tel. +46 70 33 55 326 Tel. +46 708 61 95 95 About Paynova AB Paynova offers an international, account-based payment service via the Internet. With Paynova as a stand-alone company, E- retailers receive a payment guarantee with the facility for twenty payment options in 10 languages with 8 currencies in a security-certified interface (PCI). Consumers can open an account, a Paynova wallet, for free over the Internet to make purchases more secure and simpler, as well as facilitating transfers between family members, friends and acquaintances. Paynova has an agreement with more than 900 e-retailers. Most are found within the following prioritised segments: travel, retailing and media/network gaming. The company has been listed on NGM Equity since February 2004. For more information: www.paynova.com About Ninjas in Pyjamas NiP AB is the world’s most famous and successful Counterstrike Company. Millions of fans across the world follow the team captain HeatoN (Emil Christensen) and his team mates. In addition to NiP successfully participating in the professional tour across the world, NiP also generates income through membership fees for playing computer games, sales of hardware products, merchandise, etc. NiP is leading the rapidly-growing game development towards becoming a more professional industry. Most recently, NiP won the Swedish Dreamhack tournament (June 2005), also known as the world’s largest collection of LAN connected computers. The CEO of NiP is Peter Hedlund. For more information: www.nip-gaming.com .