Changyou.com
Changyou.com Ltd. operates online games, primarily massively multiplayer online games, in China.[2] Originally a division of Chinese Internet company Sohu, Changyou was spun off and went public in 2009 through a variable interest entity (VIE) structure based in the Cayman Islands.[3] The company claims it was operating independently of Sohu as early as 2007.[4]
Some of its games derive revenue from the sale of virtual goods,[5] and many are licensed rather than developed in-house.[6] Such deals have helped its roster of MMORPGs swell from two in 2009[7] to nearly a dozen as of 2014.[8]
c. 2009, its most popular game may have been the MMO Tian Long Ba Bu (Chinese: 天龙八部),[9] which translated means "Novel of Eight Demigods".[4] Some games in its portfolio are available to play outside of China in countries including Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States,[10] and Vietnam.
In 2011, the company purchased nearly 70% of a browser games maker, 7Road.[11]
In 2020, the company was acquired by Sohu and all Changyou.com stock was delisted from NASDAQ.[12]