Perfect World, a company specializing in Free2Play MMOs, is in the black. Responsible for this are not only strong licenses and mobile titles in the Asian market, but also the two MMO games playable in the West, Swordsman Online and Neverwinter.
Perfect World is making solid profits, as indicated by the financial report of the last quarter. The April/May/June quarter went well and stayed at the upper end of expectations, says Robert Xiao, the CEO of the publisher. The new “flagship” title Swordsman Online has been highlighted as a pillar of success. The extremely lucrative license for Dota 2 in the Chinese market was also explicitly mentioned.
Big plans for Neverwinter
Interesting for European players: Neverwinter, developed by Cryptic Studios, is also mentioned positively in the financial report. The title is particularly interesting for Perfect World as they plan to port it to Xbox One by the end of the year. This extension of the portfolio is an important step for Perfect World to position itself more broadly. Furthermore, Neverwinter, being an originally western title, is set to make its way to Asia, while most of PW’s games follow the reverse path.
In recent months, PW launched and established its own platform called “Arc” for their Free2Play games. The individual titles under the umbrella of the Chinese manufacturer often face accusations of being too focused on monetization and having the players’ wallets in mind. The term “Pay2Win” frequently comes up in fan forums and discussions regarding PW. Recently, there was outrage over the Free2Play MMO “Neverwinter”, which introduced the “Dragonborn”, a new prestige race that can only be purchased in a package at a price for which one would normally get full-price titles. Local players mostly deal with the North American branch of the company, Perfect World Entertainment (PWE).
