World of Warcraft, Meet World of Flight
Industry observers wonder whether The9 is launching a "shanzhai," or knockoff, World of Warcraft in hopes of keeping WoW players. They point to the experience of another Chinese online company, Shanda Interactive Entertainment. When the South Korean game company Actoz Soft terminated Shanda's license for game Legend of Mir 2 in 2003, Shanda launched its own game called World of Legend.

Analyst Zhao Xufeng from Shanghai-based research firm iResearch said that the similar name and site may draw players to its new game new game. "With the topic staying in the center of attention, The9 can easily attract attention by doing this," he said, but added, "Chinese players have high loyalty for the game, and technically, The9 does not have the technical ability to copy WoW."