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[MapleStory reaps over $29 million in U.S. virtual item sales]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/31/maplestory-reaps-over-29-million-in-u-s-virtual-item-sales/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/31/maplestory-reaps-over-29-million-in-u-s-virtual-item-sales/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/31/maplestory-reaps-over-29-million-in-u-s-virtual-item-sales/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

2007 proved to be a good year for Nexon in the United States, particularly with its free-to-play MapleStory. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reports that the although the game has 85 million users worldwide, only 5.9 million of them are U.S. players. Given the relatively small percentage of its player base located in the United States, it's surprising that MapleStory made an absolute killing on in-world transactions in 2007; the WSJ reports that 'Nexon's U.S. revenue last year more than tripled to $29.3 million from $8.5 million the prior year.'

Jeremy Liew provides some additional commentary on the Nexon windfall over at Lightspeed: "With $30m in US sales and 6m US registered users, assuming a 20% "active player" rate and 10% "buyer rate", that implies an ARPU of $20/mth which sounds about right and is consistent with number we've seen from games in Asia. It sounds like the US will be following very similar models of virtual goods monetization that we've seen in Asia." It's interesting that the predominantly Asian business model of legitimized RMT is already gaining some degree of acceptance in the United States, albeit a slow acceptance.

Via PlayNoEvil

MassivelyMapleStory reaps over $29 million in U.S. virtual item sales originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 31 May 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"Buy this box for $60 or go to hell, I don't want your money." That's the message on the tunnel vision of boxed game sales that Alex St. John, CEO of WildTangent, is trying to get across to the gaming industry. The dominant business model in PC gaming largely ignores the possibilities of in-game transactions and ad-sponsored gameplay. St. John spoke on the need to pursue new gaming revenue models at the recent ION Game Conference in Seattle and more recently, at the 6th annual Wedbush Morgan Securities Management Access Conference in New York City. Gamasutra followed St. John at both events, where the WildTangent CEO raised some eyebrows when he asserted,"In a few years any business not making money from ads is leaving half their money on the table."

According to St. John, the industry fixation on boxed sales will be the downfall of a number of companies that fail to change their business models and embrace in-game or in-world revenue streams. "There's a wide open opportunity here. Anybody can get into this, and everything the traditional publishers and game companies know about doing business will ensure their failure," he stated at ION.

Continue reading Buy this box for $60 or go to hell

MassivelyBuy this box for $60 or go to hell originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 May 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adadvertisementadvertisingalex-st-johnconsoleeconomyfeaturedgamasutrain-game-adsin-game-advertisingionmediamicropaymentmicrotransactionpcrmttelevisionwild-tangentThu, 29 May 2008 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Dizzywood mapped by Worlds in Motion Atlas]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/26/dizzywood-mapped-by-worlds-in-motion-atlas/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/26/dizzywood-mapped-by-worlds-in-motion-atlas/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/26/dizzywood-mapped-by-worlds-in-motion-atlas/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Dizzywood is a Flash-based virtual world for kids, with a wide variety of environments to explore, ranging from Mayan-themed jungles to skateparks. Worlds in Motion took at in-depth look at Dizzywood and weighed in on how Dizzywood innovates, and how it flounders. The game is developed by Rocket Paper Scissors, who have been getting some love by the media in recent weeks. It's clear to see why; the relatively new company has a simple, compelling vision:

Our aim is to create a website for kids that inspires a sense of imagination, discovery, exploration, and most of all, fun. Frankly, when we took a good look at what was already out there, we felt that kids deserved a lot better. Our hope is that through a commitment to quality storytelling, creative vision, and technological innovation, Dizzywood will deliver an outstanding entertainment experience for young people that inspires the imagination in a safe environment. Our goal is to be the most popular web destination for kids in the 8-12 age range. It's a lofty goal, to be sure, but we're all about dreaming big.

Dizzywood runs in a web browser, with no additional install beyond Flash required. Rocket Paper Scissors has billed the title as free-to-play, but there are pay options to unlock new clothing, items, emotes and powers, as well as avatar customization. The games in Dizzywood are solo-friendly, but encourage cooperative play and socializing in order to solve mysteries. The excellent Online World Atlas over at Worlds in Motion put Dizzywood through its paces, ultimately finding some flaws in the virtual world, yet praising it as one of the 'tween worlds to watch.

Via Gamasutra

MassivelyDizzywood mapped by Worlds in Motion Atlas originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 May 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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