Redwood City, Calif. - Video game developer and publisher Electronic Arts announced on Monday that it has made a $167 million equity investment in Chinese online game operator The9, which will give EA an approximate 15% stake in the company.

Redwood City, Calif.-based EA also said it signed an agreement giving The9 exclusive rights to operate its "FIFA Online" soccer game in mainland China.

EA said the investment meshes with its strategy to build an online presence in Asia; "FIFA Online" now also claims more than 4.4 million subscribers in Korea, the result of a license deal with Neowiz.

Shanghai-based The9 also operates licensed online games including "World of Warcraft," "MU," "Joyful Journey West," "Guild Wars" and "Ragnarok Online 2" in China.

Separately, The9 said on Monday that it has acquired an exclusive license to operate Korean developer G10 Entertainment's advanced casual dancing online game "Audition 2" in mainland China.

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