MMORPGs Push Perfect World's Q2 Revenues Up 56%

Beijing-based online game developer and operator Perfect World says its second quarter revenue for the April to June period to RMB 521.3 million ($76.3 million), up 22.6 percent percent over the previous quarter and 55.9 percent over Q2 2008. An increase in active players in the company's recently launched MMORPG Battle of the Immortals (pictured) and in its existing MMOs such as Perfect World (assisted with expansions to some of those games) helped raise the company's online gaming revenues to RMB 475.1 million ($69.6 million), 26 percent over the first quarter and 58.7 percent over the same period in the previous year. Perfect World quantified this growth in popularity for its MMOs by pointing out that on average, some 761,000 users were playing its games in China throughout the quarter, compared to 615,000 in Q1 2009 and 619,000 in Q2 2008. The number of active paying customers for the company's games with item-based revenue models also increased to 1,877,000, compared to 1,464,000 in in Q1 2009 and 1,530,000 in Q2 2008. The average revenue per active paying customer, however, decreased slightly to RMB 237 ($34.68) from RMB 244 ($35.70) in Q1 2009 -- though ARPU was RMB 188 ($27.51) in Q2 2008. The online game operator expects third quarter revenues for 2009 to continue upward to RMB 547 million ($80 million) and RMB 563 million ($82.4 million), a 5 to 8 percent quarter-over-quarter increase and a 43 to 47 percent year-over-year jump, crediting persisting popularity for Battle of the Immortals and its other MMORPGs.