pwi posts

In a Perfect World podcast begins operation

by Eliot Lefebvre Feb 28th 2010 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Podcasts, Perfect World, Events, in-game, Launches, Free-to-play, Ether Saga Online, Jade Dynasty, Battle of the Immortals

In a day and age where we all seem to have mobile devices kicking around, podcasts are great for keeping up with news and opinions on your favorite topics while still being on the go. Needless to say, we're a bit fond of podcasts around here, so we're happy to announce the first full episode of Perfect World Entertainment's official podcast, In a Perfect World, is available for download. Covering the full range of Perfect World Entertainment's products, the first show includes discussion on Battle of the Immortals, Perfect World International, Ether Saga Online, and Jade Dynasty.

Unsurprisingly, the centerpiece of the Battle of the Immortals segment is an explanation of the game's delay until mid-April. There are also previews of the next few Perfect World International events, discussion of the recently-added player-made mount in Ether Saga Online, and in-game events in Jade Dynasty. Various download and aggregator links for the podcast are available on the official blog entry, along with a small contest to win a Barbarian Tiger statue. If you're a fan of the multitude of free-to-play games the company offers, it should be worth the time spent listening.

Tags: battle-of-the-immortals, boi, contests, eso, ether-saga-online, in-a-perfect-world, jade-dynasty, news, official-podcast, perfect-world, perfect-world-entertainment, perfect-world-international, podcast, pwe, pwi

A bird's-eye view of China's MMO market

by Eliot Lefebvre Jan 15th 2010 at 7:00PM

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play

To a western MMO developer, China's market is alluring in much the same way that winning the lottery is alluring to everyone else. There's a huge market right there, even disregarding the almost stereotypical amount of gold farming associated with the country, but thus far western games have yet to make much of a dent. The only one that's been largely successful is World of Warcraft, and even that has a bit of a tortured history. Scott Jennings has taken the opportunity to expound a bit on what makes China so appealing as an MMO market and why it's been so difficult to get a solid footing in.

One of the points he makes is that, by and large, China hasn't attracted a good portion of the western market either -- Perfect World International comes the closest to making a splash, and it's nowhere near the popularity of, say, Runes of Magic. He also discusses several of the difficulties in negotiations between western businesses and the Chinese counterparts, as well as the government's vested interest in ensuring the market stays solidly in China. The full article also offers as comprehensive a breakdown of the entire World of Warcraft controversy as you're likely to find in one place, making it an excellent reference point for anyone interested in the vagaries of the worldwide market.

Tags: china, china-mmo-market, chinese-mmos, lum-the-mad, perfect-world, perfect-world-international, pwi, rom, runes-of-magic, scott-jennings, world-of-warcraft, wow

Kung Foo! events and activities for final week of CBT

by Rubi Bayer Jan 13th 2010 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, Free-to-play, Kung Foo!

The Kung Foo! closed beta test is wrapping up soon (it ends January 20th), and Perfect World International are planning to finish with a series of fun community events to thank those who logged in to help out. Since the servers will be wiped before open beta, why not throw some cash around, right? Players will be receiving Foo Funds upon logging in after the latest maintenance period, so they can hit the mall and gear up for the events.

The first event is a fashion party, a chance to be a little silly and show off some of your new costumes from the mall, not to mention meet some of your fellow closed beta testers. Friday will be a bit startling if you're unprepared, because monsters will be appearing ... somewhere. Where and when is a bit of a mystery, so be ready. (Maybe smack them with your teddy bear backpack.)

Finally, while it's true that the servers will be wiped after the 20th, closed beta testers will get a few gifts to carry over into open beta. Everyone will receive a Lolligator transformation tonic that lasts 30 days after its first use, and anyone reaching level 40 will get a Sweet Wolf pet.

So enjoy the last week of closed beta, and get ready for the crowds coming in open beta!

Tags: beta, closed-beta, f2p, foo-funds, free-to-play, kung-foo, lolligator, perfect-world-international, pwi, sweet-wolf

Kung Foo! creators talk about all things Foo

by Rubi Bayer Jan 6th 2010 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Interviews, New titles, Free-to-play, Kung Foo!

Kung Foo!, the snarky new offering from Perfect World International, went into closed beta yesterday. At first glance, the free-to-play game is yet another clunky, anime-styled fantasy game full of ancient Chinese cliches, so what makes this one so different?

Product Manager Craig Beers and Guest Writer Devin Grayson spent some time discussing this with MMORPG.com, but if you've seen the trailer, you already know the answer: Kung Foo! takes everything you recognize as standard-issue for most MMOs and satirizes it. "You name it, we make fun of it," Grayson says. For longtime MMO players, the game promises to be a fun twist on the same old tank-healer-nuker-fight-the-monster-and-move-on style that we've all grown used to.

The interview gives a look at the thought processes behind the creation of Kung Foo!, and a few hints on what you can expect from the game. Take a look at the full interview here.

Tags: closed-beta, craig-beers, devin-grayson, kung-foo, perfect-world-international, pwi

Perfect World's Belliss discusses free-to-play business model

by Rubi Bayer Oct 20th 2009 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Perfect World, Business models, Interviews, News items, Free-to-play

The concept of microtransactions is still relatively new to many of us in the western MMO world, but many Asian companies are already very familiar with it. That familiarity is opening doors for them to transition over to the western market more easily. Jonathan Belliss is the product manager for one of these companies, Perfect World International, and he spent some time talking about the challenges and advantages of the transition.

Belliss and Perfect World seem to stand out among the deluge of Asian based free-to-play games, and Belliss' outlook may well be partly responsible for this. He has quite a bit to say about game quality over quantity (especially given the current market saturation), player preferences in two very different cultures, competition for those microtransaction dollars, and the future of the free-to-play business model overall.

Belliss seems to have that all-too-rare ability to look at the pros and potential cons of a situation, to learn from others mistakes, and to see which direction the free-to-play/microtransaction model is likely to take in the future. It's an asset to Perfect World and makes the interview well worth the time spent reading.

Tags: f2p, free-to-play, interview, jonathan-belliss, microtransactions, perfect-world, perfect-world-international, pwi