Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[EA reveals SWTOR subscription and sales numbers, beats financial predictions [Updated]]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/01/ea-reveals-swtor-subscription-and-sales-numbers-beats-financial/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/01/ea-reveals-swtor-subscription-and-sales-numbers-beats-financial/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/01/ea-reveals-swtor-subscription-and-sales-numbers-beats-financial/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Screenshot -- Star Wars: The Old Republic
It looks like Star Wars: The Old Republic didn't let its daddy down, as EA has reported much better sales than expected for the December quarter, largely thanks to the runaway sales of the new MMO title (as well as many of EA's other heavy-hitters). The company ended up earning an adjusted $344 million for a total net loss of $205 million, which isn't too shabby if you consider how much money just went into the development and launch of The Old Republic.

Perhaps most interestingly to players, however, is the fact that EA has reported sales of more than 2 million units of The Old Republic with about 1.7 million subscribers. Those are the highest (and the hardest) numbers we've heard so far. EA's Chief Financial Advisor, Eric Brown, stated in an interview that EA managed to pull in more SWTOR subscribers than the studio had initially anticipated. He added that at launch, the studio was able to add a great number of users per server courtesy of some technical improvements. If you're economically minded and want to get the full, dirty, stock market details, just click past the link below.

[Thanks to Gabriel for the tip!]

[Update: Darth Hater has compiled some additional TOR-related statistics and Q&A from today's EA earnings call: "2,000,000+ copies sold, 40% sold through Origin; 1,700,000+ active subscribers, 1 million concurrent." The company also notes that "Active subscribers means anyone paying OR in their trial period. MOST of those 1.7m are paying at this point."]

MassivelyEA reveals SWTOR subscription and sales numbers, beats financial predictions [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zynga logo
A recent SEC filing from Zynga, creator of the social gaming epidemic known as FarmVille, revealed that the company is reporting a record quarterly revenue of over 306 million USD, though -- bizarrely enough -- profits are almost 54 percent lower than they were this time last year.

Revenue isn't the only thing that's on the rise, either. The company reports 152 million unique monthly players, compared to the 151 million the company reported in June. The average number of daily players, however, dropped from 59 million to 54 million. At any rate, the company seems to be going strong, with new titles such as the recently announced (supposed MMO) CastleVille just on the horizon.

MassivelyZynga reports record revenue in last quarter originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>castlevilleearningseconomyfacebook-gamesfacebook-gamingfarmvillefinancefinancesprofitsrevenuesocial-gamessocial-gamingzyngaFri, 04 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Nexon America's financials continue to impress in Q3]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/16/nexon-americas-financials-continue-to-impress-in-q3/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/16/nexon-americas-financials-continue-to-impress-in-q3/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/16/nexon-americas-financials-continue-to-impress-in-q3/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


We reported back in August that Nexon America had begun the third Quarter of 2009 with a very solid July; their revenue for the month grew 35% over the numbers for July 2008. Now that Q3 is over, they are happily touting some additional (and still impressive) figures. August 2009 beat out last year's August revenues by 32%, and September hit a lofty 44% growth in revenues compared to the same time in 2008. Overall, Nexon America's third quarter revenue grew 36% compared to Q3 2008.

Nexon America's CEO David Kim pointed out that this success comes without the bump that releasing a new game often brings: "Increasing our revenues without having added any new games to the company's portfolio for more than a year tells me that we are on the right track. Dungeon Fighter Online is just ramping up, so no revenues generated by that game are reflected in the outstanding third quarter we've had.

Dungeon Fighter Online is still in open beta, but an item mall has just been launched for the game. We can only imagine that Nexon's growth will continue when these revenues begin to show up on future financial reports.

MassivelyNexon America's financials continue to impress in Q3 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ceodavid-kimdungeon-fighter-onlineearningsfinancialsitem-mallmaplestorynexonnexon-americaq3revenuesthird-quarterFri, 16 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Funcom's Q1 2009 report shows solid revenue]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/16/funcoms-q1-2009-report-shows-solid-revenue/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/16/funcoms-q1-2009-report-shows-solid-revenue/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/16/funcoms-q1-2009-report-shows-solid-revenue/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

Funcom has released a report detailing their financials for the first quarter of 2009. They brought in over US$7 million in revenue for the period, and although this figure is slightly less than the previous quarter (but without the disastrous US$23 million depreciation loss), they are pleased with the stability of their earnings during the economic turbulence of recent times. The report also mentions some positive trends in their flagship game Age of Conan:

  • Longer average subscription periods, demonstrating customer loyalty
  • The number of new customers per month is much higher than Q4 '08 (the introduction of free trials helped here)
  • A solid and stable customer base for the quarter
  • Higher levels of activity in game than in previous periods
Not to be left out, The Secret World made it into the report as well, mostly just to say that the recent reveal was well-received, and the project is on track. Anarchy Online only really had a one-line entry in the report, and it was to say that revenues from the game were slowly declining. The casual and free-to-play games that Funcom referred to in their Q4 '08 report are also keeping to their development schedules -- the screenshot above is from a java-based MMO that is currently in the focus-testing and gameplay tweaking stages. For now though, with TSW and the other casual games still on the horizon, the overall success of Q2 '09 will once again hinge on the performance of AoC.

MassivelyFuncom's Q1 2009 report shows solid revenue originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 16 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conananarchy-onlineaoaocbrowser-basedcasualearningsf2pfinancial-crisisfinancial-reportfinancialsfree-to-playfuncomjavarevenuesubscriptionsthe-secret-worldtswSat, 16 May 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[World of Warcraft makes up half of Activision/Blizzard's earnings]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/30/world-of-warcraft-makes-up-half-of-activision-blizzards-earning/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/30/world-of-warcraft-makes-up-half-of-activision-blizzards-earning/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/30/world-of-warcraft-makes-up-half-of-activision-blizzards-earning/#commentsFiled under: , ,


According to the analyst firm Stern Agee, the games megacorporation Activision-Blizzard makes a lot of money. No surprise there, with franchises like Call of Duty and Guitar Hero backing their finances. What really makes their bottom-line work, though, is apparently the mightiest MMO on the planet. According to an analyst at the firm, World of Warcraft is backing a full half of the company's stock price. That is, above and beyond the actual revenue the game pulls down the game is responsible for $400 million of the company's share price.

Despite a few reservations and a belief that the company is currently over-valued, the analysis firm believes the house that WoW built is one of the soundest games industry investments in these troubled times. The full post at Edge Online has details, if you're thinking about combining your love of the Lunar Festival event with online trading.

MassivelyWorld of Warcraft makes up half of Activision/Blizzard's earnings originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activision-blizzardbusiness-modelsearningsmmo-industryworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 30 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[SWTOR might be EA's best chance at improving profitability]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/24/swtor-might-be-eas-best-chance-at-improving-profitability/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/24/swtor-might-be-eas-best-chance-at-improving-profitability/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/24/swtor-might-be-eas-best-chance-at-improving-profitability/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


In a recent article on Gamasutra, Cowen Group analyst Doug Creutz discussed EA's disappointing performance of late, blaming the software giant's "inability to develop hit core-gamer console titles". This has led to him significantly lowering his estimates for their 2009 earnings. The analyst's reportings are fairly doom-and-gloom, but he did mention A New Hope for the company: Star Wars: The Old Republic.

EA acquired BioWare, the developers of SWTOR, back in October last year. Creutz is of the belief that EA has really messed up their console campaign this generation, and SWTOR could be the "best chance" they have to increase profitability -- that is, if it can hold its own against the reigning champ World of Warcraft. We have faith that BioWare will be able to bring out a quality MMO, and you couldn't ask for a better IP. It really all depends on how well the title will have to do to be of any use to EA -- obviously better than Warhammer Online, which did not even earn a mention in the analyst's report.

MassivelySWTOR might be EA's best chance at improving profitability originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>analyst-reportbiowarecowen-groupdoug-creutzeaearningsearnings-reportelectronic-artsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorwarwarhammer-onlineworld-of-warcraftwowWed, 24 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Activision-Blizzard reveals that it's sitting on a big pile of money]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/06/activision-blizzard-reveals-that-its-sitting-on-a-big-pile-of-m/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/06/activision-blizzard-reveals-that-its-sitting-on-a-big-pile-of-m/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/06/activision-blizzard-reveals-that-its-sitting-on-a-big-pile-of-m/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

This year, Activision and Blizzard merged under French media group Vivendi (Blizzard's parent company) to become the biggest, baddest game publisher in the known universe. To make sure investors know just how awesome that event was, Vivendi sent out a press release describing its generally excellent financial condition.

Earnings for Vivendi as a whole were reported to be up 10.2% for the first six months of this year. While game division earnings are still actually down compared to this time last year, that should be no cause for alarm. It can be attributed to the lack of a World of Warcraft expansion. By this time last year, The Burning Crusade had reached store shelves.

Vivendi assured investors that it still plans to release Wrath of the Lich King by the end of this year, so that bump is still coming. But will Wrath be as big as The Burning Crusade? By definition it can't be any bigger, because you have to have played the TBC content to reach the point where you can enjoy most of what Wrath has to offer, right? Apparently we'll see soon.
One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

MassivelyActivision-Blizzard reveals that it's sitting on a big pile of money originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all know that MMOs don't come cheap. While we still chuckle a bit at the suggestion that it takes an investment of over $1 billion to make a truly blockbuster MMO, it does cost quite a bit to keep a team of highly skills programmers and artists housed and clothed for the daunting 2 year+ development cycle that they're subject to these days.

So when Funcom announced an earnings loss of $3.13 million during the first quarter of this year ending March 31, we can't say we were terribly surprised. They continue to subsist on revenues from Anarchy Online, which they've described as steady, while they gear up for the Age of Conan launch. While AoC is still less than a sure thing, they're confident that they'll have a strong launch, based on the million plus beta applications they've received and generally positive reports they've been getting from the experts.

MassivelyFuncom fields tough quarter in anticipation of AoC launch originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 May 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conananarchy-onlineaocbusinessearningsfirst-quarterfuncomlossTue, 13 May 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[NCsoft releases sales numbers for 2007]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/14/ncsoft-releases-sales-numbers-for-2007/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/14/ncsoft-releases-sales-numbers-for-2007/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/14/ncsoft-releases-sales-numbers-for-2007/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


NCsoft's corporate monkeys released their sales numbers yesterday, showing off a solid net profit of $48.4 million, an increase of over 18% last year. Something has to be said for NCsoft's execs like new President Chris Chung, as the company was able to post a strong increase in profit, even as global sales dipped 3% since last year to $355.1 million. Sales for the crucial fourth quarter were up however, jumping 11% to $95.9 million on strong sales from the Lineage series and the launch of Tabula Rasa in November.

Korea continued to be NCsoft's dominant market, accounting for 59% of global sales, as compared to the 17% attributed to North America. This, of course, would account for the fact the relative success of the various franchises. Lineage and Lineage II, which are still wildly popular in Korea, ran sales of $34.2 million and $36.4 million, despite their age. Tabula Rasa, a title ostensibly aimed at the North American market with it's sci-fi and shooter fascinations, saw relatively meager sales of $5.4 million since it launched in November. This is further proof that the Asian market is simply too big to ignore. Companies looking to break Blizzard's grasp on the market may do well to look abroad.

MassivelyNCsoft releases sales numbers for 2007 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiachris-chungearningskorealineagelineage-iimarketsncsoftprofitstabula-rasatrThu, 14 Feb 2008 09:00:00 EST