Apparently not wanting gamers to stop playing, Shanghai based Shanda has been developing health drinks and food. Shanda has introduced a new beverage entitled “World of Legend” (Not a legend anymore) as the first in it’s lineup.
In recent years, Shanda has been making effort to develop health and health care food that are suitable for online entertainment while consolidating development, operation and sales of interactive and entertainment products, said Wang Yong, Shanda PR manager.
Being an entertainment company, understandable they don’t seem to want to become a big player in the beverage industry. Instead they will focus on simply providing for the teeming masses of online players with more interest in playing then eating and drinking. Just like a casino, gotta keep ‘em playing, gotta keep ‘em hooked. Don’t let them leave the computer.
It seems a profitable strategy, but with WoW (World of Warcraft) now implying time limits on the amount of time one can play in sucession, due to government pressure, one wonders how Shanda will fare in their endeavour. This limit was of course brought up due to more recent gaming deaths.
They will continue their development into other quickie items such as gum and instant noodles.
I am waiting for them to come out with a “Level Up” drink; surely the recipie for a best seller. Now if they could only do something about this annoying bathroom trip thing, we could play non stop for days!
Coke is sponsoring a lot of online stuff - hence the iCoke.cn tie-in’s on the WoW posters.
Shanda killing the golden goose?
Wouldn’t be the first time…
Lawrence.
Comment by Lawrence sheed — January 1, 2006 @ 6:39 pm
Actually Shanda is not affiliated with WoW. I think that actully went to the underdog- the9.com. I think Shanda is just trying to compete against alliances such as that, though I am unsure if Shanda currently has partners in f&b.
Comment by Planetkarl — January 1, 2006 @ 7:11 pm
[...] Perhaps their desparation is what prodded them to going into food and beverages. « Importing a great night out [...]
Pingback by Shanghai Entertainment Industry » Shanda losing life — January 4, 2006 @ 7:25 pm
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Pingback by Shanghai Entertainment Industry » X-ing out the Xbox 360 — January 22, 2006 @ 9:41 pm
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