NCsoft has announced an agreement with Chinese game company Shanda Interactive Entertainment, through which Shanda has obtained a license to operate NCsoft's upcoming 3D multiplayer online game AION: The Tower of Eternity, currently in closed beta in Korea since October 27th, in mainland China. Closed beta testing for AION in China is expected to begin in the second half of 2008.

The two companies also announced a strategic alliance that would make Shanda a strategic investor of NCsoft's Chinese subsidiary, NCsoft China, as part of what NCsoft says is a joint effort to "enhance their collaboration" in China.

AION pits two oppositional races, the Angelic and Demonic, against one another in a world threatened by the emergic Draconic race. NCsoft says that actions taken by players in the AION universe actually cause the game environment to evolve, in addition to affecting the storylines.

NCsoft corporation Tack-jin Kim said, "We are very excited to bring our highly anticipated title AION to the China market. Shanda is our most ideal partner in China, given its proven track record in operating MMORPGs, its nationwide distribution platform as well as its strong marketing capabilities. We believe our partnership with Shanda represents an alliance between leading game companies in Korea and China, and we are very optimistic about our collaboration going forward."