Aion: Tower of Eternity lifts Korean publisher's quarterly earnings to $107.7 million, a 51 percent year-over-year rise.
NCsoft's newest massively multiplayer online role-playing game is paying significant dividends for the Korean publisher. Having launched Aion: Tower of Eternity in Korea late last year, the publisher said today that the supernatural-themed MMORPG helped pushed first-quarter revenues to KRW133.4 billion ($107.7 million), a substantial 51 percent leap over the same period a year ago.
Aion is soaring
Across the board, NCsoft saw its margins increase. Net profit for the period rocketed skyward 315 percent year-over-year to KRW33.5 billion ($27 million), with operating profit jumping 128 percent to KRW42.5 billion ($34.3 million). Breaking down sales figures by game, NCsoft said that Aion accounted for 34 percent of revenues, followed by Lineage II at 33 percent, Lineage at 23 percent, City of Heroes at 5 percent, and Guild Wars at 3 percent during the quarter.
"Aion has solidified its position as a new growth force without encroaching sales of the Lineage series," said NCsoft CFO Jaeho Lee in a statement. "Starting with its service in China in Q2, we are ready for a successful launch of this triple-A franchise in Japan, Taiwan, North America and Europe within the second half of the year."
NCsoft went on to note that the sharp uptick in profits could be attributed to continued strong sales of Lineage and Lineage II.
One title that did not contribute to the publisher's quarter was Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa, which was officially taken offline at the end of February. Last week, the game's titular designer filed a $24 million suit against NCsoft, charging the publisher with breach of contract and fraud in relation to his "involuntary" departure from the company in November.
Source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6209476...dlines;title;2
NCsoft Q1 profits jump 315%
Buster
Apollo Smile
Wellt least they are starting to make up for all the damage Richard Garriott's flop did.
wetwillyhip
aion should be reeling in that much profit, it looks like such a sweet game, i wish it would release, the only problem is.. even if it did, it's subscription monthly... 15$/month standard. BLAH HUGE TURN OFF
Eragon Zarroc
interesting stuff =D aion is such a large percentage of their sales already and has only been launched in Korea
Mordakai
Any news on how much Guild Wars made with their new item sales?
I know I spent $10 on the pet unlock!
I know I spent $10 on the pet unlock!
Songbringer
is aion scheduled for release in us anytime soon? I don't really follow the game but in past couple weeks I have heard some amaxing things about it and would love to try it out even with the monthly
Buster
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Originally Posted by Eragon Zarroc
interesting stuff =D aion is such a large percentage of their sales already and has only been launched in Korea
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http://www.aionsource.com/forum/news...ng-report.html
Yes, we'll let our partners devour everything in site first then we'll market GW2. I really hope that isn't the case but how could it not be ? Anyone know if Arenanet is hiring for the marketing department ?
Abedeus
Maybe because Aion is freaking awesome.
Any company with an awesome MMO on board is getting a huge profit spike.
Any company with an awesome MMO on board is getting a huge profit spike.
Apollo Smile
Played the beta of Aion. Yes, it but plays like WoW, and yes it is awesome.
blood4blood
Unofficially I've seen pre-orders listing a September US release for Aion, but I haven't heard anything official (I signed up for the newsletters but haven't heard a peep from them). It's the one game that actually tempts me to do a pay-for-play - nothing else has in years. I'm waiting for free trials/beta tests here, then will decide...in the meantime, congrats to NCsoft.
The Scorpion Knight
Crazy, at least their making some good money.
![Ec]-[oMaN](/static/static/../Img/avatar8384_2.gif){kind=avatar}
Ec]-[oMaN
From what I've heard Aion is due out in the fall of '09 for NA, they are still altering everything for a NA launch. So their sales are up in Q1 '09 what did they release in Q1 '08 for comparison?
Nomme Moon
Amazing what happens when a brilliant new game is released.
Aion deserves the credit.
Aion deserves the credit.
Orange Milk
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Originally Posted by Mordakai Any news on how much Guild Wars made with their new item sales? I know I spent $10 on the pet unlock! |
Also i do belive I said a week or so BEFORE the storage update went live to buy NCSoft Stock right then and there and sell in 3-4 monthns for a nice profit.
http://http://www.reuters.com/financ...mbol=036570.KS
Sure its down a tad today, but what a jump in April-May
Gigashadow
Except for the graphics (which are amazing, as is the performance given how good the graphics are), there is absolutely nothing new or interesting about Aion. It is not innovative in any way, and is another generic MMO, with generic classes, and the way it plays reminds me of Lineage 2 in many ways.
It *is* a much better game overall than Warhammer though, and competes for the same PvP MMO market, so it should sell more copies and retain more subscriptions than Warhammer.
It *is* a much better game overall than Warhammer though, and competes for the same PvP MMO market, so it should sell more copies and retain more subscriptions than Warhammer.
Apollo Smile
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Gigashadow
Except for the graphics (which are amazing, as is the performance given how good the graphics are), there is absolutely nothing new or interesting about Aion. It is not innovative in any way, and is another generic MMO, with generic classes, and the way it plays reminds me of Lineage 2 in many ways.
It *is* a much better game overall than Warhammer though, and competes for the same PvP MMO market, so it should sell more copies and retain more subscriptions than Warhammer. |
Buster
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Gigashadow
Except for the graphics (which are amazing, as is the performance given how good the graphics are), there is absolutely nothing new or interesting about Aion. It is not innovative in any way, and is another generic MMO, with generic classes, and the way it plays reminds me of Lineage 2 in many ways.
It *is* a much better game overall than Warhammer though, and competes for the same PvP MMO market, so it should sell more copies and retain more subscriptions than Warhammer. |
Arduin
Yakkington ^^
Gigashadow
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Apollo Smile
It plays like a faster paced WoW. It has a kickass soundtrack as well.
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Here are a few screenshots I took from a month or so ago. It's not terrible, it's just that if you ignore the graphics, you realize that there is absolutely nothing interesting about this game. I think that, just like with attractive faces, players who haven't played the game, are looking at the screenshots and fantasizing those positive connotations onto every other aspect of the game. They might not be so happy when they find out how grindy some aspects of the game are, or for example, that your armor can randomly break if you try to upgrade it.
My templar tanking for a PUG in the early level outdoor elite area:
Image
I have no idea what they were saying in party chat, hopefully it wasn't bad. Thankfully you can hotlink your quest log into chat.
Mod Edit: Changed 1st image to a link due to sizing of the image.
Apollo Smile
The abyss is where it gets better. Not only is there alot of flight based combat, but some pretty big PVP areas as well.
Oh. I also like how there is night and day versions of some of the music tracks, its a neat touch.
Oh. I also like how there is night and day versions of some of the music tracks, its a neat touch.
Nick Of Troy
I'd love to see what Guild Wars' Name Change and Stylist upgrades have done to NC's profit margin...
therangereminem
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Originally Posted by Eragon Zarroc
interesting stuff =D aion is such a large percentage of their sales already and has only been launched in Korea
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therangereminem
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Originally Posted by Buster
Actually Korea and China. Next up is Taiwan and Australia I bellieve then they will try to devour NA/EU regions next. They have 41 servers in Korea and 114 servers in China and they are still growing.
http://www.aionsource.com/forum/news...ng-report.html Yes, we'll let our partners devour everything in site first then we'll market GW2. I really hope that isn't the case but how could it not be ? Anyone know if Arenanet is hiring for the marketing department ? |
austrailla is not getting there own servers at all youwil have to play on other servers if youwant to play
bhavv
I thought Aion was meant to have good graphics?
Those screenshots look horrible to me :x
If I were going to start paying mothly again, then I would reactivate my AoC subscription instead of getting Aion.
I never get my moneys worth for fee based games, pay for a month and maybe play 5-10 days at the most, rip off when I can just log into GW for nothing.
Those screenshots look horrible to me :x
If I were going to start paying mothly again, then I would reactivate my AoC subscription instead of getting Aion.
I never get my moneys worth for fee based games, pay for a month and maybe play 5-10 days at the most, rip off when I can just log into GW for nothing.
Apollo Smile
Quote:
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Originally Posted by bhavv
I thought Aion was meant to have good graphics?
Those screenshots look horrible to me :x If I were going to start paying mothly again, then I would reactivate my AoC subscription instead of getting Aion. I never get my moneys worth for fee based games, pay for a month and maybe play 5-10 days at the most, rip off when I can just log into GW for nothing. |
Aion rivals Guild Wars in graphics quality. Even then, keep in mind I am not playing it on max settings.
Gigashadow
Here's a couple more pics from me. I shrunk these ones (I run in 2560x1600 with all settings maxxed, as I have a 30" LCD).
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/672...ailsmaller.jpg
My mage near a guard in town.
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/1476/guardsmaller.jpg
Pictures were waaaaaaaaaaay too big. Changed them to links. -Earth
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/672...ailsmaller.jpg
My mage near a guard in town.
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/1476/guardsmaller.jpg
Pictures were waaaaaaaaaaay too big. Changed them to links. -Earth
Apollo Smile
How do you take screens without the interface? Its not the same as Guild Wars.
Gigashadow
Press F11 or F12 (I forget which) to toggle the visibility of the UI, then take your screenshot. Assuming I'm remembering things correctly.
wetsparks
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Originally Posted by wetwillyhip
aion should be reeling in that much profit, it looks like such a sweet game, i wish it would release, the only problem is.. even if it did, it's subscription monthly... 15$/month standard. BLAH HUGE TURN OFF
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Curseman
The graphics are better than guild wars on the technical side of things, but I don't think their actual designs are anything special. It looks like the same old stuff we've seen a trillion times by now, just in (much) higher detail.
I'm not surprised to hear that it's a grindfest that plays like WoW either. I would be willing to wager that all the ability to fly ends up meaning is that level design stops being a factor, so that aside from aesthetically, every area is exactly the same.
I'm not surprised to hear that it's a grindfest that plays like WoW either. I would be willing to wager that all the ability to fly ends up meaning is that level design stops being a factor, so that aside from aesthetically, every area is exactly the same.
Empress Amarox
Everything looks blurry if you ask me. x.x...
Waiting for it to come out though, 99% sure I'm going to Aion.
Waiting for it to come out though, 99% sure I'm going to Aion.
Mordakai
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Curseman
The graphics are better than guild wars on the technical side of things, but I don't think their actual designs are anything special. It looks like the same old stuff we've seen a trillion times by now, just in (much) higher detail.
I'm not surprised to hear that it's a grindfest that plays like WoW either. I would be willing to wager that all the ability to fly ends up meaning is that level design stops being a factor, so that aside from aesthetically, every area is exactly the same. |
The hairstyles and scenery look very Guild Wars-esque.
Kay84
Wasn't surprised about Aion's succes in Korea. I'd really like to play the game when it releases here, but most likely be busy travelling around and working in Korea for at least a year.
Maybe I'll try it out when I come back, or I'll wait for NcSoft's fighting MMORPG Blade&Soul, which also looks promising.
Maybe I'll try it out when I come back, or I'll wait for NcSoft's fighting MMORPG Blade&Soul, which also looks promising.
NiukNiuk
Aion uses Cryengine 3d engine (the first cryengine, not the second...so it should be playable on a large variety of computers
)
Saphrium
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Originally Posted by Gigashadow
Here's a couple more pics from me. I shrunk these ones (I run in 2560x1600 with all settings maxxed, as I have a 30" LCD).
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/672...ailsmaller.jpg My mage near a guard in town. http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/1476/guardsmaller.jpg |
superraptors
dam we need weapons like that in gw, not these puny toy weapons e.g goldenphoenix blade, glaidus etc damnit
ARMOR 2 FOW IS SO OLD
ARMOR 2 FOW IS SO OLD
sLiceR
ANet give us that sword! O_O
Arduin
Seriously peeps, could you not post pictures the size of elephants? And could you please not quote these posts with pictures the size of elephants? Not everybody has a 30" LCD 
Anyway, I agree with Curseman. The graphics sure look superior to anything I have seen, yet the graphic style seems a bit outdated. Been there done that kind of stuff.
Also, there doesn't seem to be much detail in the surroundings (foliage, water, dirt and such). But I haven't actually played the game myself.
I'm also not a fan of huge ass glowing swords, something like that blue sword in the second screenshot. I'd rather have a functional, down-to-earth, Long Sword. Same goes for the armor, why does it have claws?!
Anyway, I agree with Curseman. The graphics sure look superior to anything I have seen, yet the graphic style seems a bit outdated. Been there done that kind of stuff.
Also, there doesn't seem to be much detail in the surroundings (foliage, water, dirt and such). But I haven't actually played the game myself.
I'm also not a fan of huge ass glowing swords, something like that blue sword in the second screenshot. I'd rather have a functional, down-to-earth, Long Sword. Same goes for the armor, why does it have claws?!
Snograt
I am a fan of huge ass glowing swords.
Me want.
And yes - ixnay on the huge ass screenies/quoted screenies. You don't want to slow Guru down, do you?
Me want.
And yes - ixnay on the huge ass screenies/quoted screenies. You don't want to slow Guru down, do you?
wetsparks
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Snograt
I am a fan of huge ass glowing swords.
Me want. And yes - ixnay on the huge ass screenies/quoted screenies. You don't want to slow Guru down, do you? |