Kotaku: China

Even Pin-Up Models Like R4

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 01:00:00 MST

See it? Look closely. In the DS cartridge slot. In the cart in the cartridge slot. The Micro DS Card. It's there, we think, look. Just as Kyoto cops are cracking down on the R4 business in Japan, Japan-based Chinese bikini model Rola Chen is totally using a R4. And totally taking pictures of herself using it. And totally putting that on her official blog. She writes, "During times when I'm waiting around, I play my DS! ...Now, what game do you think Rola?" Dunno, but we're pretty sure Rola didn't pay for it. Arrest her, officers!

イーちゃんとDS [Rola SMILY Diary via Livedoor News]

Dead Or Alive Online Going Beta

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:00:00 MST

DOA Online, gaming's fatal car accident that we cannot look away from, is going into closed beta soon. November 12, actually. The game is being spearheaded by China's Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited and developed by Tecmo's online game development team, "Lievo Studio." That's right, no Team Ninja! The game was originally supposed to be running by the Beijing Olympics. That didn't happen.

中国で『DOA ONLINE』のクローズドβテストがスタート [Famitsu]

Killer: Online Gaming Made Me Crazy

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:00:00 MST

Just as China declares internet addiction a "mental disorder," 22 year-old Hu Ange from Sichuan Province is now trying to claim insanity after being sentenced to death for poisoning his parents and spending their money on online games. Back in March 2007, Hu's parents gave him 50,000 yuan (US$7,353) to support his seafood business — he spent all the money on online game Legend. Flash forward to July 14, 2007 when he purchased 20 packs of tetramine and poisoned his father the following morning. His father was saved thanks to emergency treatment. Days later on July 20, he bought 45 more packs of tetramine and served them with mixed beef on July 24, poisoning both his parents at lunch. Hu did not respond to his dying mother's pleas for help, because he was in his room playing Legend. If poisoning one's parents on multiple occasions wasn't nutty enough, this wacko's gotta drag gaming into it.

Killer seeks appraisal forInternet addiction [Shanghai Daily via GamePolitics]

China to Levy Real-World Tax on RMT

Maggie Greene — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 10:30:00 MST

Figuring if you can't ban them, you might as well make money off of them, the Mainland Chinese government has instituted a real tax on real money transactions, which is a very (very) big industry in China — and one that causes concern for the government, which fears money laundering and inflation. After attempting to severely curtail RMT, and realizing that wasn't really working, the government has moved to tax the hell out of RMT instead (a mere 20%!):

The announcement, which was distributed to local tax bureaus, specifically takes aim at those who buy virtual currency from gamers and surfers and sell it to others at a mark-up. Taxation officials are granted the right to determine the original price of online virtual currency if the individual fails to provide proof of an original price, it says.

We'll see how well this pans out — probably better than the attempt at an outright ban, at the very least — as this is a move that is gaining increasing popularity. Australia was actually the first country to start levying taxes on virtual transactions. Considering the RMT market is pretty diverse, it will be interesting to see exactly how the government tries to implement this — and how successful they are.

Real Taxes for Real Money Made by Online Game Players [The Wall Street Journal]

Chinese MMO Chi Bi Heading to Japan

Maggie Greene — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:30:00 MDT

I've been watching the movements of Beijing Perfect World with some interest; in comparison to some of the up and coming companies, they've certainly kept a reasonably low profile lately. Until, of course, they launched the 'international' version of their original MMO, Perfect World. Now they're eying another go with the Japanese market, bringing their Chi Bi ('Red Cliff') MMO to Romance of the Three Kingdoms-mad gamers. I've heard tell Perfect World will be releasing another of their games to the US market in the near future, and we can only hope that it's Red Cliff — I'm all about some classical Chinese fiction renovated for a 21st century audience. The Three Kingdoms gaming phenomenon is fascinating to me, and one that I hope to write on formally at some point in the not-too-distant future. Press release after the jump.

BEIJING, Oct. 29 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ — Perfect World Co., Ltd. ("Perfect World" or the "Company"), a leading online game developer andoperator in China, today announced that it recently signed an agreement withC&C Media Company Limited ("C&C Media"), an online game operator in Japan, tolicense "Chi Bi," the Company's 3D massively multiplayer online role playing game ("MMORPG") based on the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, to the Japanese market. "Chi Bi" is Perfect World's fourth MMORPG licensed in Japan after "Perfect World II," "Legend of Martial Arts" and "Zhu Xian."

"Chi Bi" has been popular with online game players since its launch inChina in early 2008 because of its unique system settings, aesthetic graphicdesigns and vivid representation of the history of the Three Kingdoms. The Company has since succeeded in signing agreements to distribute "Chi Bi" toMalaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other countries and regions. The recent launch of "Horseback Fighters," an expansion pack for "Chi Bi," has introduced newin-game experiences to online game players with its large number of updatesand exciting new content.

Mr. Kensuke Chikaishi, President and Chief Executive Officer of C&C Media,said, "The Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history is not only famous in China but is also well known to many online game players in Japan. With its high quality, I believe 'Chi Bi' will be able to bring a memorable game experience to Japanese online game players. I'm confident that 'Chi Bi' willbe a success here in Japan given our good and long-time partnership with Perfect World."

Mr. Michael Chi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Perfect World, commented, "We have a great long-term relationship with C&C Media and we arevery pleased to cooperate again on bringing 'Chi Bi' to Japanese online game players. We believe that C&C Media's proven experience in operating games in Japan will help make this release another success."

Launder That Money: RMTs in Asian MMOs

Maggie Greene — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 12:30:00 MDT

A gold farming/money laundering ring in South Korea has been accused of moving somewhere in the neighborhood of $38 million USD from Korea to China (with the help of real money transactions). According to PlayNoEvil, they made false purchases to a Hong Kong paper company to move the money, which is what eventually led to their arrest. In addition to the ring leaders, an additional 11 people were arrested:

Charges were also filed against 11 Koreans who allowed the scheme to use their bank accounts for money laundering.

Jeong and his ring reportedly sold the game money illegally produced in China using cheap labor and virus programs. They are believed to have taken a commission of three to five percent of the money traded to purchase game money.

And you thought gold farming was a problem. The connection between the gold farming ring and the money laundering ring is unclear, but this is just one more example of RMTs being put to, uh, creative uses.

`Online Game Ring Smuggled Out $38 Mln to China` [donga.com via PlayNoEvil]

American McGee Tries, Tries Again

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:30:00 MDT

American McGee made Alice. Great game! Then he made a bunch of other games that weren't so great, and the industry kinda moved on. Hopes were high for his latest project - Grimm - but the game's neat premise and stylish visuals were let down by the fact it was bbooorrring. So hopes shouldn't be anywhere near as high for his next project, BaiJiu Racer, a casual MMO racing game (think KartRider) he's currently in the process of pitching. Basing his studio is China is obviously having an effect on the man, as he writes:

For one, it’s the first Chinese cart racing game developed with an authentic and original Chinese art style, set in real-world locations, and featuring some of the funkiest racing vehicle designs the world has ever seen (inspiration coming from actual Chinese vehicles).

And...yeah.

BaiJiu Racer Concept Announcement [American McGee, via Gamasutra]

Cartoon Network Eying Chinese Market for Casual Games

Maggie Greene — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:30:00 MDT

Just joining the rest of the world in pursuing the magical (giant) Chinese market, Cartoon Network has announced that it is commissioning SinoTech, a Beijing firm, to create games based on CN-owned properties as well as SinoTech IPs. The games will first be targeted at the pan-Asian site and a site localized for Taiwan, and may find their way to other localized Asian sites and an in-the-pipeline portal for mainland China:

The Turner-owned kids brand has commissioned SinoTech, a Beijing-based firm, to create online casual games based on its own characters as well as cartoon characters owned by SinoTech. The deal also gives SinoTech exclusive rights to sell ads around the games, with a focus on tapping new advertisers from China.

SinoTech will develop two games each month that can be deployed on Cartoon Network’s pan-regional site as well its localized site in Taiwan. The games they produce may find their way onto Cartoon Network’s other localized sites in Asia such as Japan and Korea, as well as on a mooted localized site for mainland China that's in the pipeline.

CN is looking for a piece of the casual Chinese pie, though it's doubtful they'll really be able to challenge QQ.com; still, CN execs are confident that their targeted kids market will give focus and direction to future marketing efforts.

Cartoon Network’s Chinese Dream [Asia Media Journal]

A (Virtual) Player Bill of Rights?

Maggie Greene — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:30:00 MDT

There's an interesting article over at The Escapist on the rights of players in virtual worlds — covering a myriad of issues (recourse for theft, ownership of items, DRM, etc) on a global scale, Erin Hoffman has a nice look at some of the issues that have been rearing their ugly heads and what players, companies, and even governments are doing about it. Whatever the resolution ends up being, 'virtual' rights are an increasing problem for parties on all sides of the issue(s) at stake:

But as the concept of ownership becomes hazier - and companies more insistent on maintaining it by punishing their paying customers in the process - so are end-user rights more worthy of attention as a mass expression of consumer desire. A clickwrap agreement cannot supersede the basic tenets of property ownership. The tighter DRM grasps, the more legitimate customers will turn to piracy or other means of subverting oppressive license agreements. And the further DRM reaches into a consumer's fair use of a purchased product, the more likely a judge is to support the end-user and not the software company.

What's clear in all of this - in a field that is about as clear as pea soup - is that these issues aren't going away. Whether interpreted as a manifestation of player desires, or inalienable rights that form the bedrock of our online pursuit of happiness, these impassioned assertions are proof that games (and gamers) are evolving in fascinating ways. The declaration of rights has never been without conflict in human history. Games are no exception - and the stakes might be higher than you think.

I'm no lawyer, but this is one area I do follow pretty regularly — court cases are popping up ever more frequently, and some recent, high profile DRM blunders have been splashed everywhere. I think it's going to be quite some time before any of this gets ironed out to the satisfaction of players and companies, but it will make for an interesting ride in the meantime.

We the Gamers [Escapist]

IBM and the Palace Museum Launch the 'Virtual Forbidden City'

Maggie Greene — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:00:00 MDT

In a move that seems designed to provide Chinese historians with even more ways to torture their poor students (I know at least one thing I'm forcing my sections to do next quarter), IBM and the Palace Museum have teamed up to offer a virtual, immersive, and interactive version of the Forbidden Palace of Beijing. In contrast to the more typical 3D 'tours' that abound, the "Forbidden City: Beyond Space & Time" is sort of Second Life meets the Qing dynasty and eunuchs (minus advertising, a virtual economy, and sex). It's running like a snail on my computer, but is certainly a very neat idea — and in the future, we'll perhaps being seeing more creative uses of virtual worlds for 'cultural' purposes? Full release after the jump:

IBM and Palace Museum Announce Opening of The Forbidden City Virtual World Celebrating 600 Years of Chinese Culture

"The Forbidden City: Beyond Space & Time" Recreates Historical Treasure as a Fully Immersive 3D-Internet Experience

BEIJING, Oct 10, 2008 — Today, some 600 years after construction began on the 178-acre site that would become the center of unrivalled imperial power known as China's Forbidden City, the Palace Museum and IBM will open the walled fortress — and hundreds of years of history and culture — to the world.

Three years in the making, IBM has meticulously built a virtual recreation of the architecture and artifacts of the former palace grounds, enabling online visitors to get a first-hand view into imperial China as embodied in the intricate design, history and storied culture of this newly accessible Forbidden City.

"The Forbidden City: Beyond Space & Time" ( www.beyondspaceandtime.org) is a first-of-a-kind, fully immersive, three-dimensional virtual world that recreates a visceral sense of space and time of this Chinese cultural treasure — as it was centuries ago during the height of the Ming and Qing dynasties — for most anyone with access to the Internet.

"The rich cultural heritage of China's imperial past, embodied in the Forbidden City for over five centuries, is now brought to life and accessible to all through a virtual world created by IBM and the Palace Museum," said Henry Chow, Chairman, Greater China Group, IBM. "This initiative takes the online experience to a new level of innovation with rich content, educational storytelling, community and social networking features that represent the next generation of 3D-Internet applications.

"What makes me proud is that IBM now has opened the door to a cultural treasure and rich heritage to everyone, everywhere which in the past was only available to relatively few."

Originally, the Forbidden City was constructed to embody the idea of the emperor as the center of the universe with a series of dramatic courtyards and gates, buildings and landings underscoring a design built to reinforce security and power. This huge palace complex was completed in 1420, about twelve years after construction began, and contains hundreds of exquisite buildings and historic artifacts, and on October 10th, celebrates its 83rd anniversary as a museum and one of China's major cultural attractions.

Now, using virtual world technology, visitors can experience the awe inspired by this vast and amazing space. Rather than experiencing its wonders in isolation, the virtual Forbidden City allows you to see and interact with other users and a range of helpful automated characters. As you explore the virtual Forbidden City, you can choose to simply observe the buzz of activity, or you can take tours and participate in activities that provide insights into important aspects of Qing culture.

Visitors to the virtual Forbidden City will be able to take tours that correspond to major historical topics and stories from the Forbidden City, such as Dragons of the Forbidden City, the Supreme Golden Halls of the Forbidden City, the Imperial Garden, and the Symbolic Animals in the Forbidden City.

"'The Forbidden City: Beyond Space & Time' is a program that combines China's world-class cultural heritage with state-of-the-art information technology. Three years in the making, the Palace Museum worked closely with IBM in jointly engineering the program. Both parties have been deeply touched by the profound and dazzling ancient Chinese culture," said Zheng Xinmiao, the Director-General of The Palace Museum. "Meanwhile, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to IBM for its full investment and devotion and its strategy of applying innovative technology to social and cultural promotion. This program is only a start, which, as we believe, will have an unlimited future to explore China's traditional culture."

Visitors to the virtual Forbidden City may also engage in activities in which their avatars take an active role in the culture of the period. For example, avatars can take part in activities such as archery, cricket fighting, and playing the ancient game of Weiqi, the "board game of surrounding" now popularized as GO. Visitors may also view and inspect artifacts and scenes such as "The Emperor Having Dinner" and "Court Painting."

The recreation of the Forbidden City represents how 3D technology can be used to educate and provide cultural experiences on a large scale. At the Forbidden City in Beijing, local visitors can also use a kiosk to interact with the virtual world. It is the first virtual world to be built using SOA architecture and includes open source components such as Linux.

IBM's BladeCenters with Linux Blade Servers are at the heart of this virtual world — supporting robustness with the capability to enable thousands of concurrent users and the scalability comparable to that of massive multiplayer online games. IBM built the application using WebSphere Application Server, Tivoli, ESB (Message Broker), DB2 Viper, and IBM BladeCenters. The virtual world runs on Linux, Windows and Mac operating environments.

IBM has dedicated more than a decade to creating successful cultural heritage projects, including the Vatican Library, the Pieta, Hermitage Museum, Eternal Egypt, and the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The Export Problem: East to West Localization, Collaboration

Maggie Greene — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:30:00 MDT

With a quickly expanding domestic games market, and more companies thinking of making the leap to Western markets, Asian companies are facing some serious issues in the next few years: competition to become gaming 'hubs' for foreign companies, how to localize for foreign markets (something Japanese companies have historically done well, but in other areas, companies are lagging), how to keep up with a big, demanding market. ZDNet took a look at a few of the issues currently facing Asian games companies. On the issue of dealing with Western companies looking to make an entrance into the Asian market, there was this to say:

For example, Aroon Tan, president of Games Exchange Alliance (GXA), suggested that Singapore—which has ambitions of becoming a regional games hub—promote itself as a gateway for foreign game developers to Asia. Based in Singapore, GXA aims to help game companies overcome commercialization hurdles and bring game titles to market across Asia.

Tan explained that setting up physical presence in several Asian countries is a challenge for North American and European game companies. However, Singapore's policies provide relatively lower barriers to entry to the country and the region, he told ZDNet Asia.

"Singapore offers lots of incentives, making it an attractive first market to enter the region," he said, adding that at the recent Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, exhibitors he met were keen to do business in Asia.

The export market is still a giant hurdle — while there are South Korean and Chinese companies making quiet, but successful, inroads to Western markets, quality localization remains something that many companies haven't quite managed to do.

Asia must localize for global gamers [ZDNet Asia]

Chinese Toothbrushes, Leave Sonic ALONE

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:00:00 MDT

What. The. Hell. File this under "NOT NEWS" and "SERIOUS TRAVESTY". A reader over at game site UK:R writes:

Whilst browsing through a tiny shop in central Beijing last month, I decided to get a new toothbrush. A quick glance around and this horrendous artefact jumped out and prompted a photograph from yours truly. Notice the wispy white beard, the long tail and disgusting bulge at the back of his head.

Close up after the jump.

MORE CHINESE COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT FUN [UK:R]

THQ Bringing 'Dragonica' to North America

Maggie Greene — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 10:30:00 MDT

The flow of free to plays coming from Asia to Western markets doesn't seem like it's going to stop any time soon; THQ has announced plans to bring Dragonica, a Korean-developed casual MMO, to North America next year in partnership with Chinese game operator ICE. Dragonica will be free to play, supported by pay-for-content and microtransactions, and is a 3D side scrolling game. From what I've seen of it, it looks sickeningly cute. Will we have another MapleStory-esque sleeper hit on our hands? Full release after the jump.

THQ Announces Joint Venture with China Online Operator ICE Entertainment to Bring Casual MMO Title Dragonica to North America in 2009

New Joint Venture Provides North American Platform for THQ Online Games

AGOURA HILLS, Calif., Sep 16, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — THQ Inc. today announced that it has formed a joint venture with ICE Entertainment ("ICE"), an operator of online games located in Shanghai, China, to launch Dragonica, a free-to-play, micro-transaction-based massively multiplayer online ("MMO") casual game scheduled for release in North America in 2009. ICE's Chief Executive Officer Sun Tao is the former Chief Technology Officer of The9, a leading operator of online games including World of Warcraft(R). The new joint venture combines ICE's online operating experience with THQ's product development and retail publishing expertise to create a new platform for online games in the North American market.

"We are extremely excited to be working with ICE Entertainment to bring this free-to-play, micro-transaction-based online game to the robust yet largely untapped market for online casual gaming in North America," said Doug Clemmer, president of THQ's casual gaming subsidiary. "We are even more pleased to be building a strong and mutually beneficial relationship, which we hope will lead to additional opportunities to deliver online gaming content globally."

"We are looking forward to combining THQ's extensive marketing and retail expertise with our advanced technology and proven online game operating know-how to deliver a great new casual gaming experience for North American consumers," said Sun Tao, chief executive officer, ICE Entertainment. "We also look forward to working with THQ more closely to develop new games and explore future publishing opportunities in both markets."

The market opportunity for online casual gaming in North America is estimated to be $2.2 billion by 2013 (Source: DFC Intelligence). China's fast growing online games market was valued at US$1.7 billion in 2007 and reached more than 42 million online gamers. The market is expected to grow to US$4.2 billion by 2010. (Source: Niko Partners).

About Dragonica

Dragonica is a massively multiplayer online casual game developed by Barunson Interactive Co, based in Korea. Dragonica is free-to-play and players may choose to pay for additional content and features on a micro-transaction basis. Barunson Interactive spent seven years developing Dragonica, which brings cartoon side-scrolling action online games to a new peak. The game's totally 3D rendering design, fresh cartoon characters and scenery modeling, create a new visual perception of side-scrolling games. Dragonica skillfully mixes the elements of action and arcade, and creates various ultimate skills to enhance playability. ICE currently has the rights to operate the game in China and plans to commence its closed beta for that market in late 2008.

About ICE Entertainment

Founded in 2006, ICE is an online game operator based in Shanghai, China, with an established online technology platform and proven management team, including CEO Sun Tao, former vice president and chief technical officer of leading Chinese operator The9, among others, with many years of experience in the online game field. ICE is focused on the development and operation of massively multiplayer online games. More information about ICE Entertainment may be found at www.icee.cn.

About THQ

THQ Inc. is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More information about THQ and its products may be found at www.thq.com. THQ and its respective logo is a trademark and/or registered trademark of THQ Inc.

UC Irvine Gets Grant to Study WoW

Maggie Greene — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:30:00 MDT

The National Science Foundation has awarded $100,000 to do a cross-cultural study of World of Warcraft — Bonnie Nardi, an infomatics professor at Irvine, will be looking at player gaming habits and culture in the United States and China. Nardi has already spent time in the field, observing WoW players in Beijing internet cafés; she's already noted some basic differences in play styles and similarities in culture, so I'm curious to see where she'll go from here:

“(The) Chinese have invented some interesting ways to play with the in-game economy (not the real world economy). Ways that I have not observed here in two years of studying ‘World of Warcraft.’

“Chinese players are more attuned to the aesthetics of the game. At least they mention them more in interviews. They talked more about color schemes, animations, architecture, and so on more than American players.

She notes that Chinese players are less likely to play with add-ons and modifications because they like the 'challenging' version of the game better. Well, whatever works. Nardi will be completing her research along with a doctoral student; hopefully her final paper will shed more light on little-studied areas and not just broad generalizations of the obvious.

UCI tackles ‘World of Warcraft’ mystery [OC Register]

Dead Space Ban: Fact or Fiction?

Maggie Greene — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:00:00 MDT

Remember the recent news that Dead Space has been banned in China, Japan, and Germany? Well, GamePolitics isn't buying it, saying the news doesn't pass the 'smell test' for a variety of reasons. Dead Space cleared both Australia's 'notoriously censorious' OFLC and the UK's BBFC (the same commission that banned Manhunt 2); Germany perhaps makes sense, but "Japan? The home of Resident Evil?"; and, oh yeah, the lack of any word from EA on the issue:

GP immediately contacted EA, with distinctly unsatisfactory results. The top PR dog didn't respond to our e-mail. Later in the day we tracked down the EA guy who is handling Dead Space PR, and put the question to him in two e-mails and a live phone call. Never got an answer one way or the other. EA doesn't know if one of their high profile titles managed to get banned in three countries? Sorry, not buying that. Or, they know but aren't saying? Unacceptable.

GP seems suspicious about the China news, too, asking "does EA even distribute console games in China?" (they do in theory) — but considering the government made Blizzard and The9 change the look of skeletons and dead bodies in WoW, it's not a huge logical leap to nixing sales of a game like Dead Space. Still, GP seems most disturbed EA's lack of knowledge — or unwillingness to share it — when it comes to the status of their game in at least three locales: "It's time for EA to put an end to this nonsense. If there is a multi-country ban, gamers deserve to know about it. If there's not, gamers deserve to stop having their chains yanked..."

Dead Space Ban in Three Countries? We're Not Buying It [GamePolitics]

Chinese Authorities Should Monitor Online Games For Addiction

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:00:00 MDT

Well, so said Li Jianguo, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC). According to him, 10 percent of the approximately 40 million Chinese children that use the internet are "addicted" Li pointed out. From Chinese newsite Xinhua:

The figures were collected from 11 provinces after a two-month survey, said Li, noting that Internet addiction was mainly caused by on-line games and a lack of supervision by the authorities.

Li said the management and supervision of Internet games and Internet cafes must be strengthened, and he urged researchers to study methods to help minors avoid Internet addiction.

Rest easy, China! Li Jianguo cares.

Chinese lawmaker warns against child Internet addiction [Xinhua via GamePolitics] [Pic]

THQ Opens Office In Shanghai

Mike Fahey — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:40:00 MDT

THQ is looking to further their presence in the Asian gaming market, and to that end they've announced the opening of a new office in Shanghai, China, dedicated to the expansion of local partnerships and the development and publishing of online and offline games in the region, beginning with Company of Heroes Online, the free-to-play version of the popular series developed specifically for the Asian market.

“The Asian markets represent a significant growth opportunity for THQ, particularly as we execute on our strategy to grow revenue from online gaming, an increasingly important segment for our industry,” said Martin Good, senior vice president THQ Asia Pacific. ‘We look forward to continuing to build new publishing and development relationships in China to expand our presence in this important and fast growing gaming market.”

China is of course home to over a billion Chinese people, many of whom turn to gaming in order to have something to look at other than other Chinese people all the time, hence the exploding game market. Good move, THQ.

THQ Further Expands Publishing and Development Activities in Asia with New Shanghai Office
New Office to Oversee XDG Global Operations and China Development Initiatives;

Tim Page and Kevin Chu to Lead Publishing and Product Development Efforts

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. & SHANGHAI, China—(BUSINESS WIRE)—THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) today announced the opening of its new office in Shanghai, China, from which THQ will pursue new development opportunities and expand publishing partnerships in the fast growing Chinese market. Building on its relationships established with local Chinese developers and publishers over the past several years, THQ’s new Shanghai office will spearhead the expansion of local partnerships to develop and publish both online and packaged games for distribution in China and around the world.

Later this fiscal year, the company plans to launch Company of Heroes® Online, a free to play, micro-transaction game designed specifically for Asia, in collaboration with its China publishing partner Shanda Interactive Entertainment, Ltd.

“The Asian markets represent a significant growth opportunity for THQ, particularly as we execute on our strategy to grow revenue from online gaming, an increasingly important segment for our industry,” said Martin Good, senior vice president THQ Asia Pacific. ‘We look forward to continuing to build new publishing and development relationships in China to expand our presence in this important and fast growing gaming market.”

Tim Page, market development director for Asia Pacific, THQ, will lead efforts to expand THQ’s online gaming portfolio by establishing and maintaining local publishing partnerships as well as bringing THQ online content to other markets around the world. Page’s extensive experience includes more than 12 years in the games industry both in and across Asia Pacific. Over the past few years, he has been driving THQ’s online strategy for Asia, building successful partnerships and sourcing new online products, many of which are yet to be announced.

“We view our China initiative as an integral part of our greater Asia online strategy and Tim Page brings tremendous experience to drive our success in this area,” said Good. “THQ China will be a springboard from which to expand our online games content, including Company of Heroes Online, to neighboring markets across Asia.”

Kevin Chu, corporate director of THQ’s External Development Group (XDG), will run THQ’s global outsourcing operations and assist in local product development initiatives from Shanghai. Chu, also a veteran of the video game industry, has extensive experience training and building teams in the Asia region. His strong track record of successful co-development partnerships and distributed development projects has driven millions in cost savings, enhanced product quality and improved production efficiencies.

“Kevin has played an instrumental role in building relationships with many very talented development teams in China,” said Steve Dauterman, senior vice president of product development, THQ. “By expanding our development operations and deepening our commitment to the local market, we will accelerate our growth in Asia and at the same time improve the efficiency of our development processes worldwide.”

THQ China’s new operation is well positioned to capitalize on China’s fast growing online games market, which was valued at US$1.7 billion in 2007 and reached more than 42 million online gamers. The market is expected to grow to US$4.2 billion by 2010. (Source: Niko Partners).

American McGee Is So Ready To Be Brain Chipped

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:00:00 MDT

American McGee gained fame for his off-beat titles like American McGee's Alice — that, and for his first name. Dude's been around in the industry, first cutting his teeth over at id Software on games like DOOM. What does he think the next big thing is going to be? Says McGee:

I think we'll continue to see updated interface devices at the forefront of the mini-revolutions in the years to come. Ultimately, I think this is all heading to one uber-revolution in the shape of seamless computer-human interfaces, ala The Matrix. It'll be great to get away from the dated keyboard/mouse, monitor, speakers way of interfacing with our content. As soon as someone starts offering trial "implant" testing — I'll be first in line. I just hope I don't crash my brain, it would take a lifetime to reinstall everything.

And you just thought he made games and had a cool name. Ha!
Grimm interview: American McGee [Guardian] [Pic]

Shanda Bans Player, Sued For Causing 'Emotional Distress'

Maggie Greene — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:40:00 MDT

Poor Shanda. Poor Chinese game companies! A surprising number of suits have been brought against them in the past year, but this — for a more reasonable 11,000 RMB ($1600) — takes the current cake. Shanda froze the account of a Legend of Mir player (for unspecified reasons), who is now suing for emotional distress and the return of his virtual items:

Shanda (Nasdaq: SNDA) is being sued for RMB 11,000 in emotional damages by a gamer of its licensed MMORPG "Legend of Mir" for freezing the player's game account, reports West China City Daily. In addition to monetary compensation, the gamer is asking for the return of his virtual items. The Chengdu Jinniu District People's Court began hearing the case on Sunday, said the report. The9 (Nasdaq: NCTY) was ordered to pay court fees and return game characters and tools to World of Warcraft gamer by the Shanghai Pudong New District People's Court on August 13.

I know people are attached to their MMOs, but really. Emotional distress? Really? This sounds like one of those ridiculous lawsuits people always use to point out the flaws of the US legal system — clearly, China is not immune either. I'll be curious to see the outcome; as Steve at PlayNoEvil notes, this type of precedent could be really injurious to game operators.

Shanda Gamer Sues For Emotional Damages After Game Account Sealed [Pacific Epoch via PlayNoEvil]

China's Gaming Market Going Up, Up, Up

Maggie Greene — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:30:00 MDT

In totally unsurprising news, China's game market continues to climb — numbers just posted for the second quarter of 2008 show an 11.2% increase over first quarter, and a nearly 66% increase from the same quarter last year (!). In terms of market share, Shanda leads the pack with a 17.9% share, with other big companies hovering below that.

The current market is estimated to be worth 4.43 billion yuan (around $645 million), and with no predicted slowdowns, one wonders what we'll be seeing this time next year (or even fourth quarter of '08). And with companies like Perfect World making a foray into Western markets, we'll just have to wait and see where China's industry is heading long-term.

China market: 2Q08 online gaming services valued at 4.43 billion yuan [Digitimes via GamesIndustry.biz]

Fake Ransom Demanded Over "Nintendo Computer"

Owen Good — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 10:00:00 MDT

In China, a guy known only by his surname "Yang" faked his abduction because his skinflint parents wouldn't buy him "a Nintendo computer," according to the China Daily. The scheme crowbarred about 10,000 yuan ($1,400 U.S.) off the 'rents, but the kid and his two captors were snagged trying to get the dough out of an ATM.

I'm not a kidnapper, but if I wanted any amount of money in trade for the life of someone's son, even if I was that son, I'd probably ask Dad to like, withdraw it himself, bring the cash, alone, no cops or you'll never see me again, etc. etc. I'd use one of those creepy voice modulators too, because that's rad. And I would use it to buy a Coleco Adam.

Anyway, Yang is in trouble with the cops. And his folks, I assume. No word on whether he got his Nintendo Computer.

Computer Crazy Youth Fakes Self Abduction [China Daily via Destructoid]

China's FerryGame Hiring Former EA Heavy Hitter

Maggie Greene — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:40:00 MDT

A number of Chinese companies are nothing if not shrewd — in a smart business move, FerryGame has hired former EA executive producer and Heavy Iron founder Steve Gray to oversee their product lineup and future forays into the MMO/'advanced casual' market. Ranging from typical MMOs to a music/dance/'catwalk' game, FerryGame looks like they're ready to take on some of the big dogs of the domestic Chinese market, and Gray will surely be an asset:

Prior to EA, Gray founded Heavy Iron, which was sold to THQ in 1999 and now serves as the primary studio creating the publisher's Pixar tie-in titles. Before that, Gray directed Parasite Eve for Square, and ran EA's software tools group and motion capture lab for the publisher during its original PlayStation era.

FerryGames says Gray will oversee not only its Secret Online franchise and upcoming expansion packs War of Heroes and Qin Warriors, but also its forthcoming casual products due summer 2009: the music, dance, catwalk and social network title codenamed Project Super, and massively online third person shooter codenamed X-Fire.

I'm personally very excited to see where the Chinese market is headed and how the gaming landscape is going to be changing over the next decade, both within China and on a more global scale. Little announcements like these aren't terribly exciting on a small level, but when rolled into the total sum of how the industry is doing, do portend some interesting things ...

FerryGames Gets EA's Steve Gray, Announces Line-Up [Gamasutra]

Perfect World International Beta Registration Opens

Maggie Greene — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:30:00 MDT

So, we mentioned that the English-speaking world is getting its own version of Perfect World, so it can stop piggybacking on a couple of servers on the Malaysian version; along with another launch comes another closed beta, which will be starting on August 19th. The news page has more information on giveaways and the like, or you can just register on the game's site.

I've been galloping around the test servers for the past week or so, and I've been having a reasonably good time (especially considering I usually abhor actually playing MMORPGs). It's pretty, it's free, and if you haven't already, may be worth checking out.

Perfect World International Trailer

Maggie Greene — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:30:00 MDT

Beijing Perfect World is launching Perfect World International, an English version of the MMORPG that's built for English-speaking spots in North America and Europe (you won't have to play the Malaysian version if you don't feel like wading through other languages!). The closed beta will be coming next month with anticipated release in September of this year. It sure looks pretty — I may just have to fire up the game this weekend to see if it's actually that pretty on my computer.

Moving Beyond the Neon Lights in Chinese Gaming

Maggie Greene — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:30:00 MDT

In China, it's the glitzy cities that get the attention — Shanghai in particular is the city that garners the most attention in scholarship (and frequently in the press). I was somewhat relieved to see that this is not confined merely to China specialists, but game industry watcher types as well — the most recent 'China Angle' column at Gamasutra looks at games outside of the publicized hotspots, where large portions of the user bases are found. Giant Interactive, developer of Zhengtu Online, recently purchased a stake in one of China's largest social networking sites, in an attempt to grow their market. But that's not the only way companies are trying to acquire ever greater number of players, oh no:

Giant Interactive made a significant splash in China’s online gaming industry by pushing their game Zhengtu Online into the channel of second and third tier cities the way fast moving consumer goods company pushed food and nutritional products, using sales representatives at net cafes and shopping centers.

Their strategy was not surprising since Giant Interactive started as a nutritional supplement company prior to be a gaming powerhouse.

With the investment in 51.com, Giant will now continue to grow both their games and their reach deeper into hundreds and thousands of China’s urban centers that most Americans have never heard of.

Oh, Giant — definitely one of my favorite companies to keep tabs on. I'm looking forward to seeing the directions the Chinese market takes over the next decade; maybe we'll even see WoW toppled.

The China Angle: Reaching Into The Heartland Of China [Gamasutra]

Game Retailer to Donate 10% of Sales to China Disaster Relief

Maggie Greene — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 11:30:00 MDT

Hong Kong games retailer Renchi is making a nice gesture, and has pledged 10% of all sales through June 20 to disaster relief for victims of the Sichuan earthquake. Renchi will be donating to Hong Kong World Vision Sichuan Earthquake Relief (via, I presume, World Vision), which has promised to use 100% of donated funds for relief work, and World Vision has had teams on the ground since shortly after the quake. Full release is after the jump.

Hong Kong (PRWEB) June 4, 2008 — Renchi.com, a leading import video games, consoles and game gear retailer, is driving a campaign to help China's earthquake victims.

On May 12, 2008, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck the province of Sichuan, China. As of today, over 68,000 dead, 20,000 still missing, over 350,000 injured and widespread destruction is reported. More than 5,000,000 people have become homeless.

This Father's Day, you can help these children rebuild their schools and help families rebuild their homes by simply placing an order from our site. From now until June 20th, 2008, 10% of your order amount will be donated (*excluding shipping) to the Hong Kong World Vision Sichuan Earthquake Relief (Hong Kong World Vision). The World Vision is chosen because they have pledged to allocate 100% of donations for the relief work.

Please use coupon code KSCSVNBB when you check out, and 10% of your purchase amount will be donate to the Hong Kong World Vision.

Act now. Get something for your loved ones and help these children and families at the same time. See how your purchase can help these families now.

Every order helps. Your order counts! Place your order at Renchi.com now!

MSU Offering New Chinese Language/Culture MMO

Maggie Greene — Sat, 31 May 2008 12:30:00 MDT

In an effort to make learning Chinese less painful (and ostensibly to capitalize on the 'MMO as language learning tool' trend that's been talked about a bit in the past few months), Michigan State University's Zhao Yong (professor of education technology and educational psychology) has designed Zon!, where players can graduate from tourist to resident to citizen of this little virtual slice of China:

The goal is to fare well and advance socially and economically, with players advancing from “tourists” to “residents” and finally to “citizens” of modern China. At the different stages, players encounter quests, have access to learning materials – including live Chinese tutors – and can organize and participate in social activities.

Among the many tasks players can complete in the tourist stage are ordering a taxi, exchanging currency and checking into a hotel in China.

“Games are supposed to be fun and educational,” Zhao said. “With this one, we have struck a good balance.”

I wonder if the Zon! cabbies are as chatty as the guys in Shanghai or Taipei. It's a neat idea for facilitating language acquisition — if only it weren't in hateful jiantizi.

Virtual China: Online game teaches Chinese culture, language [MSU Today]

Chinese Online Gaming Rebounds After Earthquake

Leigh Alexander — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:20:00 MDT

Despite the massive devastation of China's recent earthquake, CDC Games, headquartered in China, said today that its revenues for its online games have rebounded almost immediately. Judging by the images on the news, it's easy to doubt that any Chinese are in the mood to play - but CDC says that's not so, despite the fact that its game service was suspended for three days due to the tragedy.

"In fact, on May 24, 2008 daily revenues for CDC Games were 1.3 million RMB, or approximately (U.S.) $187,000. In addition, the company has seen strong revenue growth from Shaiya, a massively multiplayer online role playing fantasy game (MMORPG) launched by CDC Games in December 2006."

China's online RPG culture dwarfs online gaming anywhere else in the world, and it's interesting to see that even (or especially) in the wake of a tragedy, gamers are making room for their favorite pastime. The image shown here, from CDC's Shaiya Online, is certainly much more comfortable to look at than this gallery of Seattle Times images from the center of the devastation.

It's MiWi v Vii In Battle For Chinese Wii Rip-Off Supremacy

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 13 May 2008 07:00:00 MDT

Looks like the Vii's got some competition! This is the MiWi, by China's Eittek Electronics, and it's got the Vii beat in several key areas. Firstly, it's got a "W" in the name, just like the real Wii! Secondly, it comes not just with two controllers that look like Wii Remotes, but a bonus third controller that's equally familiar-looking. Finally - and perhaps most importantly - it also comes with a range of crummy "peripheral" add-ons like clip-on tennis racquets and golf clubs, to really round out that Wii-owning experience.

miwi game console is nothing like a wii, really [technabob]

Chengdu Police Arrest Two Gold Farmers

Maggie Greene — Sun, 11 May 2008 12:30:00 MDT

Steve at PlayNoEvil noted this little news story, which involves two Chinese gold farmers who have pulled in over $200K USD being arrested in China. Why? How, exactly? Well, it would appear that one of the pair felt they were being swindled out of profits and reported his partner to the police:

Chengdu's Shuangliu county has arrested two virtual item and currency traders, surnamed Li and Zhang, focused on tapping out The9's (Nasdaq: NCTY) licensed MMORPG World of Warcraft (WoW), reports Chengdu Evening News. Police arrested the pair after Li reported Zhang for unfair revenue distribution. Going into business last August, the gold miners accumulated more than 20 employees with 20 computers to generate RMB 1.6 million in seven months of dealing.

Oopsies. I'll be nosing around for more on this story (like exactly what the pair was arrested for), but if any intrepid readers come across anything, send it my way. As Steve at PlayNoEvil notes, "Turn up the Irony Meter to 11. After all, with all of the complaints in the US about gold farming, it takes the Chinese to stand up and do something about it."

WoW Gold Miner Offers Himself Up To Police [Pacific Epoch via PlayNoEvil

New Sega Title Begins Testing in China

Maggie Greene — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:30:00 MDT

Adding to my theory that Three Kingdoms-related material will outlast us all, Dynasty Gaming has announced the start of closed testing with the first of their Sega-licensed "China Series" of games. And what would that game be? A MMORPG entitled Sanguko Seisen ('Saga of the Three Kingdoms'), designed to "secure a loyal following of SEGA game enthusiasts in China." Considering the current success of domestically-produced titles, it seems a little late to be trying to secure a 'loyal following,' but people do love their Three Kingdoms related stuff. Full release after the jump:

Dynasty Gaming Commences Testing of First Licensed Sega Online Game in Mainland China

After the successful signing of a License Agreement with SEGA Japan (SEGA) for the design and production of several on-line multi-player digital games with DNY BVI Limited, [HQ: British Virgin Islands], a subsidiary of DYNASTY GAMING (OTCBB: DNYFF) (TSX-V: DNY) [HQ: Montreal, Canada] (Company), the Company is pleased to announce that the first of its licensed SEGA online games is undergoing a closed testing process with the Company's China partner, Beijing Baiyouhuitong Net Technology Co. Ltd. [HQ: Beijing] (Partners).

Interviewed in Beijing, Company CEO Albert Barbusci stated that, "This represents the final step in the process to launch the first of our licensed 'China Suite' of SEGA games; a massively multi-player online roll-playing game (MMORPG) to be known as 'Sanguko Seisen' (Saga of the Three Kingdoms). Testing will continue throughout May to ensure that the new SEGA game meets all specifications for mainstream commercial operation in Mainland China."

SEGA, one of the most internationally recognized names in world-class, digital gaming products and software, worked in close collaboration with Dynasty Gaming and Partners to create "Sanguko Seisen." Adapted from a popular Japanese street game, SEGA seamlessly transposed unique elements of traditional Chinese culture, fashion and style in designing a fast-paced, exhilarating game of challenges and skills. Using the latest, state-of-the-art digital gaming technologies, the final product will engage Chinese players in a game of personalized roll-playing that stimulates strategic thinking. Designed to give players the opportunity to achieve personal goals as well as sharpen tactical manoeuvring and focus, players attain ever greater strengths in a game that is never the same twice. The realistic imagery and dynamic characters give the player a true sense of being in a real-world setting of ever-changing scenarios that will maintain player interest and guarantee longevity for succeeding generations. "Sanguko Seisen" also promises to secure a loyal following of SEGA game enthusiasts in China; hungry to see subsequent games in the SEGA "China Series."

"This is an exciting milestone in the company's goal to establish the dominant software design, operation and distribution networks within Mainland China, and join in congratulating SEGA and our China-based Partner in the fulfillment of this extraordinary goal," said Dynasty Gaming CEO, Albert Barbusci.

The TSX Venture Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this news release.

Zhengtu Tearing Up the Chinese Market

Maggie Greene — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:30:00 MDT

Steve at PlayNoEvil is, I think, as interested in the Chinese MMORPG Zhengtu Online as I am: the game is breaking (or re-writing) a lot of MMORPG rules and currently ruling the domestic MMORPG roost in China. While nosing around PNE, I discovered that — on the heels of the announcement that Zhengtu hit over 2.1 million peak concurrent users — China Daily took a look inside Giant Interactive (developer/operator of Zhengtu) and its tracksuit-wearing CEO. Of particular interest are their marketing strategies:

[CEO Shi Yuzhu] chose the second- and third-tier cities as the battlefield. "Most gaming firms focus on major cities, but in fact second- and third-tier cities are a gold mine," he says. "If you want to post posters in the Internet cafes in big cities, you will be charged (by the owners). But in smaller cities, it can be free and you receive a warm welcome from the owners."
In large cities consumers tend to play more games at home, while Internet cafes are the preferred sites for most in smaller cities and rural areas.

Shi now has a 2,500-strong marketing team, which regularly checks whether ZT Online's posters are posted on the walls of the Internet cafes across the country and sell prepaid cards to players to enable them to gain points required to play games. That is quite different from other companies' practices of promoting games mainly in cyberspace.

And how is Giant Interactive trying to attract more women to their stable of games?

He is also hiring a number of attractive female players to play in Internet cafes. "We are giving them virtual golden coins worth 6,000 yuan per year, which are equal to 500 yuan in the real world, to encourage them to play and stay in the games," he says.
His ultimate goal is to make the game more fun and lure more male players, especially first time gamers.

"In fact in China's cyberspace many male players are very willing to pay the bills for their female counterparts", he says.

It's an interesting look at a very interesting company. Time will tell if Giant can keep this momentum going.

Breaking the rules [China Daily via PlayNoEvil]

China's Online Gaming Market Up 71%, Hits $1.7 Billion

Maggie Greene — Sat, 03 May 2008 10:30:00 MDT

Just about everything in the Chinese gaming market is on the rise, according to a new report by Niko Partners: with the exception of internet cafés (numbers are down thanks to a ban on issuing new licenses), everything is growing by leaps and bounds. The online market jumped 71% in the past year, which is no great surprise, but the grey market success of consoles may be:

Console game sales were up 75 percent on a per-unit basis to 2.48 million, but Hanson noted that due to a Chinese console ban in place since 2000, the entire segment persists through the gray market ....
"The big boom this year came from the easier availability of the new next-gen consoles ...."

She pointed to PlayStation 2 as being more popular than its successor, on the strength of its affordability, game library, and backwards compatibility, with Wii seeing popularity for similar reasons. Between PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Hanson claimed Xbox 360 is more popular in China for its price point and library.

Other details and explanations can be found in a nice wrap up over at Gamasutra.

Niko's Hanson On Chinese Game Biz Growth [Gamasutra]

China's The9 Acquiring Stake in Korea's G10

Maggie Greene — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:30:00 MDT

The9, a Chinese company best known for operating the Mainland license of World of Warcraft, has bought a minority stake in Korean Company G10. G10 developed the popular Audition titles; under the terms of the agreement, The9 will get the stake for a cash investment of $38 million USD. G10 execs seem to be pleased they'll have more formal ties to a big Chinese player (and a nice little cash infusion), and The9 will hopefully get better support for G10 products. Hopefully this deal won't go down in flames like a couple of other Chinese-Korean deals I can think of. Full release after the jump.

The9 Limited Announces Equity Investment in G10 Entertainment

SHANGHAI, China, April 23 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ — The9 Limited (Nasdaq: NCTY) ("The9"), a leading online game operator in China, today announced an equity investment in G10 Entertainment Corp. ("G10"), a leading game developer in Korea. Under the terms of the investment, The9 has acquired a minority stake in G10 in exchange for a cash investment of approximately US$38 million.

Mr. Jun Zhu, The9's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "G10 Entertainment is a leading game developer, especially in the advanced casual game arena. Its Audition game franchise enjoys high popularity and a strong user base in China. The9's equity investment in G10 will strengthen the existing partnership between the two companies and further motivate G10 to provide the best support to The9's operation of Audition 2 in mainland China."

Mr. Kee Young Kim, the Chief Executive Officer of G10, said, "We are very excited that The9 becomes one of our key investors as we see this equity infusion as a recognition of G10's achievements in developing games and creating entertainment content. The9's outstanding game operation expertise will be a huge advantage in bringing G10's products to the growing Chinese online game market. We also look forward to learning from The9's valuable experience gleaned from the day-to-day operation in the local market, and integrating the ideas and suggestions from The9 into our game development process. Our people and teams at G10 are empowered to continue delivering high-quality game products and providing our best support to Audition 2, our prize product to be operated by The9 in mainland China."

Pro Gamers Carrying Olympic Torch

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:00:06 MDT

Time to carry the Olympic Torch. Who are you going to choose? Pro gamers! That's right, famous pro Warcraft III gamers Jae Ho "Moon" Jang and Li "Sky" Xiaofeng will be carrying it and will be joined by StarCraft players Junchun "Pj" Sha and Lei "Leilei" Shen. No clue when these gamer luminaries will be carrying the torch, but probably sometime before it reaches Beijing.

Is it me or is pro gaming is so 2007?
Moon, Sky Carry [GGL Thanks, Craig!]

PlayStation Games To Be Ported To The PC?

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:30:00 MDT

Maybe. Maybe. Speaking with Austrian site derStandard, Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi has hinted that in order to take some money from the Chinese market, Sony may look at...unique ways of releasing GT:

Es ist sehr sehr unwahrscheinlich, dass GT auf einer anderen Konsole herauskommt. Aber vielleicht kommt es auf den PC. Vor allem am chinesischen Markt könnten wir so die Verbreitung fördern. [It's very, very unlikely that GT will be appearing on another console. But maybe it'll be released on PC. Particularly for the Chinese market.]

PC, huh? Good for them. Maybe on PC the online would actually work!
"Schadensmodell von Gran Turismo soll unvergleichbar sein" [derStandard]

Disney to Acquire Chinese Game Company

Maggie Greene — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:30:00 MDT

Mainland China is the place to be for outsourcing, but Disney's game branch is bypassing that whole 'farming out to other companies' thing in lieu of purchasing GameStar, the company they've been using for outsourcing. Founded in '02, GameStar has offices in Shanghai and Wuhan, and will become the sixth studio in Disney's gaming portfolio.

Disney Interactive Studios General Manager Graham Hopper was quoted as saying that Gamestar will contribute to his company's "global growth plans" and new products.
... Following the acquisition, Gamestar will help with existing projects but may move on to developing original games for the Chinese market, Variety reported.

The terms of the acquisition were not divulged, but considering the excitement over the Chinese market, it seems to be unsurprising that Disney would want to throw their hat into the ring.

Disney game arm to buy Chinese developer [Business Week]

One Million Concurrent WoW Players In China

Mike Fahey — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:00:00 MDT

The9 Limited, the operators of World of Warcraft in China, has announced that they recently achieved a peak of one million players online at the same time. That's not the fudgy sort of numbers you get for subscribers either - that is one million World of Warcraft accounts online and playing at one time. That's the biggest number they've seen since the game launched there back in 2005. Of course there are 1.3 billion or so people living in China, so a million is just a drop in a bucket, but that's a very big drop in a absolutely gigantic bucket. To put things in perspective, if a million people stood on your head, your skull would be completely crushed. Them's skull-crushing numbers right there, and before you go blaming gold farming, keep in mind that these are Chinese servers, not people accessing servers outside of the country, so nya.

World of Warcraft Hits Record One Million Concurrent Chinese Players [GameDaily]

France Gets Wii Clone

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 03:00:14 MDT

It's spreading. To Europe. China's Wii rip-off, the Vii, has apparently been reskinned for the French. This made in China machine plays six games (Tennis, Football, Boxing, Bowling, Ping Pong and Baseball) and retails for €40. Accessories include a bat and what looks like three ~~spoons~~ rackets. Yes, we're calling it the "Ouii."

Sigh.
French Vii [Game Class via Game*Spark Thanks, Torokun!]

Germany Defeated, Company Of Heroes Heads For China

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:30:00 MDT

Even now, Company of Heroes shines as an example of a PC RTS done right. And while it's been successful in the West, THQ and Relic can smell the cash money-making potential from the Chinese market wafting in through their windows, and they're interested. Speaking with 1UP/GFW, Relic have explained that they've got a "five year plan" for China, one that involves a persistent-world RTS with the ability for players to "build their character up from private to general through new multiplayer cooperative missions, gameplay modes, and player-versus-player combat". Hope this isn't just for the Chinese market, because that sounds pretty neat. Can we have it too please?
Company of Heroes' Next Theater of Operations [1UP]