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ArcheAge to feature Chinese-themed city, additional content

Jef Reahard — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox

XLGAMES' new fantasy sandbox is a big deal in its native Korea, of course, but it's also looking to turn a few heads in the Chinese market. ArcheAge has a strong presence at this week's Tencent media event, and XL has revealed that its devs are working on a new "main city" that features Chinese culture and architecture inspirations.

Additional Chinese-themed content is coming in the "near future," according to MMO Culture, and it will include costumes, dungeons, maps, and events. ArcheAge recently closed the book on its fourth Korean closed beta test; XL's upcoming CBT5 phase will coincide with the first Chinese beta.

ArcheAge to feature Chinese-themed city, additional content originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard and NetEase renew license deal for WoW in China

Jef Reahard — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, News items

World of Warcraft may be bleeding subs in America thanks to newer competition, but don't tell that to Chinese publisher NetEase. The firm just renewed its licensing deal with Blizzard, which will cover localization and operation considers through 2015.

NetEase operates WoW in mainland China (and has since 2009); it also handles Warcraft III, Starcraft II, and Battle.net distribution duties. GamesIndustry.biz notes that the deal was consumated "just ahead of the launch of the fourth WoW expansion, Mists of Pandaria, which is widely regarded as being designed with the Chinese market in mind."

Blizzard and NetEase renew license deal for WoW in China originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIFT in China: 'Biggest game deal ever' for a Western MMO

Jef Reahard — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, News items, RIFT

How big is RIFT? Big enough to attract one of China's heavyweight MMO houses, apparently. Trion has announced a partnership with publishing giant Shanda that will bring RIFT to the Chinese gaming market, and CEO Lars Buttler tells Gamasutra that expanding the game's global reach is only the beginning.

"We do a lot right, but we think there's so much to learn from Asia, and a company like Shanda that has been in the market so long, and has innovated in so many ways, is a great partner to work with and learn from," Buttler says.

Trion is flexing its muscles -- and broadening its horizons -- on the strength of a banner year that included a hefty influx of investment capital as well as RIFT's $100 million revenue windfall. Trion is also developing an MMORTS called End of Nations and an MMO shooter called Defiance. Additionally, the firm is fleshing out its Red Door program, which will outsource its development platform and distribution channels to third-parties.

RIFT in China: 'Biggest game deal ever' for a Western MMO originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shanda Games going back to private ownership

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Legal, Miscellaneous

If you've been following development on Eligium, you're probably at least passingly familiar with the name Shanda Games. You'd be more familiar with it in China, since the company also operates a variety of games from other markets, including Aion, MapleStory, and Dungeons & Dragons Online. And after having a record-breaking quarter, the company is moving in the opposite direction of what you might expect from a successful company: It's going private. The requisite stocks were purchased by a single family, so the company moving out of the public market.

All shares will be jointly purchased by a parent company headed by Shanda's CEO, Shanda's COO (the CEO's son), and the company director (the CEO's wife). A $180 million loan was taken out to ensure that the stocks could be traded, with the purchasers buying shares at a higher price to help ensure the transfer. The board of directors has already approved this move, which means that it should go through without a hitch before the first quarter of 2012.

Shanda Games going back to private ownership originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Globex Studios hires Jason Bell to oversee development of Secret Kingdoms Online

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 17 May 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play

There are a lot of growing markets in the MMO field at the moment, and one of those is indisputably the Chinese free-to-play market. Globex Studios is taking aim at precisely that demographic with its upcoming game Secret Kingdoms Online, with the company operating in both Chinese and North American territories simultaneously. In hopes of bolstering its expertise on managing the development and release of the game, Globex has hired Jason Bell as the new Executive Vice President of Products.

Bell has served in the management of several MMOs, most recently at Turbine Entertainment managing Asheron's Call. The announced game certainly looks rather involved on paper, with the game focusing upon players taking the reins of fantastical mounts in a distinct and family-friendly landscape. Whether or not Secret Kingdoms Online is the game that will bridge the gap between the American and Chinese markets remains to be seen, but Globex is certainly aiming high to start.

Globex Studios hires Jason Bell to oversee development of Secret Kingdoms Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 May 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Burnout: Report says Chinese gamers losing interest in MMOs

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Legal, Casual

Is there a point at which oversaturation, cultural prominence and old habits collapse under their own weight? According to a recent survey by Chinese market analyst Niko Partners, trends are shifting away in China from hardcore MMO gaming to more casual fare like social networking games.

GamesIndustry.biz reports that self-defined "hardcore" gamers in one of the largest MMORPG markets in the world have grown tired of the thousands of carbon-copy MMOs out there and have rebelled against the monotony by taking their business elsewhere.

Niko Partners' Lisa Cosmas Hanson sees a pattern to this trend: "We believe that the Chinese market has taken up SNS (social networking site) gaming in earnest, and that the hardcore gamers have shifted their preferences to include these games alongside the casual gamers who naturally appreciate them. The hardcore gamers are growing weary of the monotony of themes in the Chinese MMORPGs, and they want to extend their social interactions to games that attract a more diverse user base."

By 2014, the analyst says that there will be 141 million online gamers in China, and the casual games market will grow from 23% to encompass 30% of all online revenues -- approximately $3 billion US.

Burnout: Report says Chinese gamers losing interest in MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XIV, like Nixon, can in fact go to China

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

The Chinese market for MMOs is immense, but it's also a market that's proven remarkably resistant to foreign intrusion. (We don't need to recount the whole saga of World of Warcraft over there.) But in addition to launching nearly everywhere else, it looks as if Final Fantasy XIV will also be going into the Chinese market in a partnership with Shanda Games Limited. This comes after Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada had mentioned a year ago that the company wished to pursue business partnerships with companies inside mainland China.

Shanda Games Limited will most likely be operating the servers for the game, which will remain separate from the "normal" servers -- the only region-locked servers that the game is currently set to have, as a point of fact. There's no word on when the game will launch, either, simply that it is in the pipeline for release thanks to the new partnership. The rest of the world, of course, will get to start enjoying Final Fantasy XIV on the 30th (or the 22nd with the collector's edition).

[Thanks to FusionX for the tip!]

Final Fantasy XIV, like Nixon, can in fact go to China originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Korean game companies losing dominance over Chinese market

William Dobson — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:29:00 EST

Filed under: Economy, MMO industry, News items

PlayNoEvil posted an article in response to a story from Korean newspaper The Digital Chosunilbo, that states that Korea no longer has a stranglehold on China's online gaming market. In fact, Korea now only holds 10 percent of that market.

The newspaper story is based on a report from the Korean Embassy, which found that the Chinese online game industry is now worth 10 billion yuan (greater than US$1.3 billion) and Korea's share in this delicious pie has greatly diminished. But why is this the case? The embassy thinks it is due to three things: a failure to deal with Chinese piracy, mistakenly thinking of Chinese collaborators as subcontractors rather than business partners, and the strongest reason, a lack of good new games.

PlayNoEvil adds their own fourth reason -- terrible product support -- saying that the recent coverage of game launches has been disappointing and even the Korean online gaming trade show, G-star, was passed over by some of the bigger publishers this year, and simply did not make as big a splash as it used to. So are we witnessing the demise of Korea as king of online gaming, or can they turn it all around with some excellent new titles?

Korean game companies losing dominance over Chinese market originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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