Yesterday Trion Worlds announced that they have agreed an exclusive deal with Shanda Games to release Trion Worlds mmorpg Rift in China.

The deal will see grant Shanda an exclusive license for Rift localized in Chinese and Mandarin.

Mr. Alan Tan, Chairman and CEO of Shanda Games said in a press release “Rift offers an adventurous online world with fantastic dynamic content and stunning graphics and has attracted many devoted fans worldwide. Based on our experience and expertise in the China market, we are excited about the upcoming launch of RIFT to our broad gamer audience and are confident in the success of Rift in the China market.”

The agreement follows the announcement that Trion’s updates of a $85 million round of strategic growth equity financing, and the company’s plans to launch an initiative which comprises both a consumer platform and a full-scale publishing and development platform, code-named Red Door, later this year.

At present there is no launch date for Rift in China.

Source: Trion Worlds press release