Hangzhou-based webgame company Joyport recorded revenues of RMB 250 million from its webgame Kingory (“Rexue Sanguo”) in 2009, 163.com reported May 29 citing an interview with company Vice President Chang Sheng. Chang said Kingory is unlikely to repeat the explosive growth in earnings this year and expects Joyport’s business revenues this year will come to RMB 200 million, with a profit margin of more than 30%, according to the report.
Shanda (Nasdaq:SNDA) game subsidiary Shanda Games (Nasdaq:GAME) started alpha testing of its acquired naval battle-themed strategy webgame Dahai Zhan Web on May 10, according to a posting on the game’s official site on May 10. During testing, players will be offered coupons to purchase game tools, according to a separate posting.
Shanda Games took over the webgame Dahai Zhan: Zongheng Sihai from Beijing-based game developer 678game.com and spent about a year redeveloping it into its current incarnation, 17173.com reported in April.
Sina (Nasdaq:SINA) launched its webgame operation platform for internal testing at wanwan.sina.com.cn on Wednesday, Sina reported May 5. The site will gradually release webgames for testing, including Piao Miao XJ, The Estate World and Yong Heng Ta Fang (“Eternal Tower Defense”), said the report.
Ubisoft plans to start alpha testing of its first in-house developed multi-player strategy webgame Heroes of Might & Magic: Kingdoms in mainland China on May 11, according to a posting on the game’s official site on April 26. The game uses background and nationality settings from Ubisoft’s PC game Heroes of Might and Magic V, the posting said.
Shanghai-based online game company Shiji Tiancheng has licensed 3D social networking webgame Nexon Star from Korean game developer NEXON Corporation and will operate the game under the name Kaixin Xingqiu (“Happy Star”) in China, according to a posting on Shiji Tiancheng’s site on April 26.
Other NEXON titles operated by Shiji Tiancheng in China include 3D Q-style racing game Kart Rider and 3D MMOFPS Counter Strike Online, according to the posting.
Shiji Tiancheng released a new expansion for Kart Rider in December.
Shanda Interactive (Nasdaq:SNDA) division Shanda Online Holding (SDO) plans to start alpha testing of Ge Zi Ke, a social networking site adapted from a webgame, on April 19, TechWeb.com.cn reported April 17, citing an unnamed SDO employee. SDO will offer 2,500 activation codes and 2,916 non-virtual gifts for the test, said the report.
The SNS product finished internal testing on April 16, said the report.
Shanda (Nasdaq:SNDA)-owned online game company Simo Technology plans to start unlimited testing of its webgame Qi Xia Tian Xia on April 7, qq.com reported March 18. Over the three rounds of testing to date, the game has attracted a total of 600,000 registered gamers and 130,000 active players, the report said.
The game entered alpha testing in October, 2009.
Parents get power to suspend children’s access to Web games
Parents in China can pull the plug on their kids’ online gaming by asking game operators to end services for minors, according to a program launched over the weekend by the culture ministry and six major online gaming companies.
The program is designed to address the increasingly serious problem of teenagers younger than 18 obsessed with online games, according to a statement by the Ministry of Culture on Friday.
Parents and guardians can submit their kids’ account numbers, as well as documents proving kinship between them, if they want the online gaming companies to restrict or terminate services.
With the online gaming market growing rapidly in China, the problem has drawn the attention of society, added the statement.
But the program falls short of defining what is meant by obsession with online games.
Teenagers currently account for 17 percent of online game players, totaling 11.8 million, according to the 2009 White Paper on China’s online gaming market published last month by the culture ministry.
In 2009, revenues from online games in China increased 39 percent from the previous year to 25.8 billion yuan ($3.8 billion), according to the report.
Six online gaming companies, including Shenzhen-based Tencent, Inc, Shanghai-based Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd and Guangzhou-based NetEase.com, Inc, joined the program. The three companies have a combined 52 percent share of the total online gaming market in China.
Companies in the industry should do their best to prevent teenagers from becoming addicted to online games, an unnamed chief of the ministry’s department of cultural market said on Friday. The department regulates the online gaming industry.
Compared to adults, teenage players are less addicted to online games, found the 2009 White Paper. On average, 19 percent of them played for more than 20 hours per week.
Since last Friday, NetEase.com has begun to accept reports from parents who are worried that their kids are addicted to online games or that the entertainment will impair their studies.
The company’s staff will contact parents within 72 hours after receiving their reports, according to a post published on the company’s website.
Once the parent’s complaints are confirmed, the kids could have their gaming accounts suspended until they are adults.
Zeng Ge, the former CEO of Perfect World (Nasdaq: PWRD) literature site subsidiary Zongheng.com and head of Perfect World’s 3D MMORPG Zhu Xian project, submitted a letter of resignation to Perfect World Chairman and CEO Michael Chi in late 2009 that was approved in early January, reports DoNews quoting an interview with Zeng on February 3.
Zeng has founded an online game company, Quyou Game, in Beijing, the report said. Two Perfect World employees behind the in-house developed 3D MMORPG Perfect World, chief planner Wang Zhenyu and art chief Wang Guoguang, joined Quyou Game after its official site was set up at quyougame.com in July 2009, said the report.
Wang Zhenyu and Wang Guoguang left Perfect World before Zeng’s resignation, Zeng said; he promised Michael Chi that he would not attract any key employees from Perfect World. Quyou Game currently has 50 employees, all involved in development, and two studios: one studio for webgame Zui Wu Xia and one for 3D MMORPG Wuxian Shijie, (roughly, “Unlimited World”), said Zeng. Quyou Game will conduct a round of fundraising in March; one game could be supported on less than $10 million for two years, Zeng said.
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