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TURBINE SECURES $40 MILLION IN FINANCING
Time Warner Inc. and GGV Capital Join Existing Partners in Fueling Online Game
Leader's Growth
WESTWOOD, MA -- June 4, 2008 -- Turbine, Inc. today announced that it has raised $40
million in equity financing. Time Warner
Inc. (NYSE: TWX) and GGV Capital, a leader in expansion-stage venture capital
investments in the U.S. and China, led the investment along with existing
investors, Highland Capital Partners, Polaris Venture Partners, Tudor Ventures and Columbia Capital. The investment will
be used to further accelerate Turbine's growth as a global leader in online
entertainment.
"This
is truly an exciting time for Turbine.
The addition of Time Warner, one of the world's largest media companies,
and GGV Capital, one of the financial community's most sophisticated investors,
adds a level of access, perspective and experience to Turbine that is
singularly unique in the global online entertainment space," said Jim Crowley,
president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. "Turbine has an extraordinary team,
incredible technology and a growing portfolio of games based on some of the
most popular brands ever created. With
this funding we are uniquely positioned to change the future of online
entertainment as we bring new titles to market, expand the platforms we support
and introduce new technologies to sustain self-evolving game worlds."
An online entertainment veteran, Turbine is recognized
globally for its industry-leading technology platform, groundbreaking game graphics
and its exceptional ability to create and operate multiple massive, persistent
online worlds that power hundreds of thousands of interactive social gaming
experiences. The company currently
operates three award-winning franchises around the globe and is one of the
largest privately-held online gaming studios in North
America.
"Our investment in Turbine is an important addition to
Time Warner's entertainment initiatives," said Rachel Lam, Senior Vice
President and Group Managing Director of Time Warner Investments. "Online interactive entertainment is a huge
growth market and we are very excited about Turbine, its unique capabilities
and the obvious opportunities that exist with our own broad portfolio of
IP."
"The demand for massively multiplayer online worlds is
exploding both geographically and in terms of platforms served," said Hany Nada, managing partner, GGV
Capital. "Turbine is a proven leader in massively
interactive online entertainment and the incredible technology that supports
it. We look forward to marrying our
strengths both here and in Asia with Turbine's
unique capabilities."
In
April 2007, Turbine launched The Lord of
the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™, the first and only MMORPG based on
the books of J.R.R. Tolkien, and has quickly established itself as an emerging
leader. The Lord of the Rings Online was named PC Game of the Year 2007 at the
25th Annual Golden Joystick awards and The
New York Times proclaimed it "a major achievement of interactive
storytelling, the first game truly worthy of the 'Lord of the Rings' franchise
and a must-play for just about anyone with an interest in Tolkien or the future
of online entertainment." Turbine also
created and operates Dungeons &
Dragons Online™, which was named Best Multiplayer Game of 2006 by the British Academy
of Television & Arts, and Asheron's
Call®, which was named one of the Top 50 Games of All Time by GameSpy and
is one of the longest running massively multiplayer online games in the
industry.
About Turbine
Turbine,
Inc. is the premier creator and operator of massive, persistent online worlds
that foster powerful social gaming communities.
Turbine has grown to become one of the largest privately-held online
gaming studios in North America.
Turbine has created some of the world's most popular and award-winning online
games, including The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™, Dungeons
& Dragons Online™ and Asheron's Call®.
For more information on Turbine, its products and services please visit www.turbine.com.
About Time Warner Investments
The Time Warner
Investments group targets non-control strategic investments that have a clear
impact on Time Warner's divisional operations and directly enhance the
Company's ability to meet specific strategic goals. Time Warner Inc. is a leading media and entertainment
company, whose businesses include interactive services, cable systems, filmed
entertainment, television networks and publishing. For more information, please
visit: www.timewarnerinvestments.com.
About GGV Capital
GGV CapitalTM is a
leader in expansion-stage venture capital investments in the United States and Asia.
Focused on driving expansion-stage innovation worldwide, GGV Capital's highly
diverse team manages over $1 billion from its offices in Silicon Valley, Shanghai, and Singapore.
The firm invests across a range of sectors in information technology, services
and healthcare, as well as the consumer growth sector in China.
GGV Capital has provided capital and helped accelerate international expansion
for its worldwide portfolio of high-growth companies, particularly in the U.S. and China.
GGV Capital's portfolio includes Alibaba (HKSE:1688), athenahealth (NASDAQ:
ATHN), Boston-Power, BCD Semiconductor, Endeca, hiSoft, QuinStreet,
SuccessFactors (NASDAQ: SFSF), and WildTangent. For more information, please
visit www.ggvc.com.
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"The
Lord of the Rings Online," "Shadows of Angmar," "The Lord of the Rings," and
the names of the characters, events, items and places therein are trademarks or
registered trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises
under license to Turbine, Inc. Turbine and the Turbine logo are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Turbine, Inc. in the United
States and/or other jurisdictions. All other trademarks are
the property of their respective owners.
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