The News Review:
- Giant Interactive shares soar after ZT Online game users top 2.1…
- Monday’s Asia ADR Recap
- Breaking the rules
- Even With Grand Theft Auto Take-Two Is No Steal
- VIDEO GAME REVIEW: Gran Turismo 5 missing something
- Tax benefit helped Microsoft’s 3Q earnings
Giant Interactive shares soar after ZT Online game users top 2.1…
Forbes – Apr 28, 2008
jumped Monday after the China-based online game developer said its ZT Online game reached a peak concurrent users (PCU) level of over 2. 1 million the highest PCU level reported in the Chinese online game industry. The stock was last up at 11.
Monday’s Asia ADR Recap
thestreet.com – Apr 28, 2008
1 million which represents a record for the Chinese online game sector. Shares of Giant surged 14% to $13. 96 on over 3 times average daily volume. In the Chinese generic-drug sector Simcere Pharmaceutical Group (.
Breaking the rules
chinadaily.com.cn – Apr 28, 2008
com both listed on NASDAQ. Giant Interactive which Shi founded three years ago is a newcomer to the Chinese online gaming industry. But ZT Online a MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role-playing game) developed and operated by the company has grown into the most popular and profitable online game in China. The number of the peak concurrent players hit 1. 53 million early in March. And it made 46-year-old Shi the 24th richest in China in 2007 with a fortune of $2. 2 billion according to Forbes magazine’s China edition… His logic is that if a gamer really doesn’t like a game he will not curse in the chatrooms but instead just switches to another one. Long hours hooked to the computers and the “gamers first” ideology ensure Shi better understands players’ preferences mindsets and even consuming behaviors. That made ZT Online an instant success. In the long term foreign games can lose their glitter as they are “less culturally related” to players says Shi. For instance in role-playing games some Westerners may enjoy playing corpses or zombies while it’s a taboo for Chinese. When Shi officially launched ZT Online he adopted a “free-to-play” model that attracted many of players. Gamers still pay for game points that provide shortcuts to gain skills and experience.
Even With Grand Theft Auto Take-Two Is No Steal
thestreet.com – Apr 28, 2008
com for games with 10 or more reviews edging out Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. So after months of practically-deafening buzz these reviews confirm what everyone has suspected — that GTA IV is the game to get this year especially with the advent of what looks to be a fairly robust suite of multiplayer modes. In fact I fully expect Microsoft’s Xbox Live and Sony’s PlayStation Network online game services to crash from all the traffic. Now why did I call GTA IV one of the biggest stories in media? First it’s no secret that the video-game industry is in a phase of cyclical hyper-growth that is leaving other forms of media like film and music in the dust. But second and more importantly due to its controversial themes and enormous popularity GTA IV is likely to be the rare game that gets attention from traditional media outlets who typically don’t even bother to get their facts straight and have only three set stories about video games: Go to.
VIDEO GAME REVIEW: Gran Turismo 5 missing something
FOXNews – Apr 28, 2008
There was a steady set of a dozen or so drivers online that raced the same track about 10 times in a row. If a particular driver cut me off and finished ahead of me in one race I quickly restarted after we finished the race in hopes of a little payback in the next race with identical opponents. There’s also a feature called “Gran Turismo TV” an in-game online channel that delivered video content to my PS3 via download. There was a feature on the making of “GT5″ and the history of the Gran Turismo series. Another video featured a look at the new Lancer X automobile. This is all something I call `yawn-tent’ instead of content. It’s nice that they can do it but it wasn’t entertaining.
Tax benefit helped Microsoft’s 3Q earnings
Seattle Times – Apr 28, 2008
Playing for healthA lot of people play games for fun of course. But some people especially baby boomers may be playing them for reasons of health. At least that’s the case Big Fish Games the Seattle casual online-games developer would like to make. In a release Big Fish says a recent customer survey that showed boomers play games to improve mental and physical health. Respondents the company said cited benefits that included less stress improved concentration increased memory and just better habits (not coincidentally perhaps 54 percent said they watched less television). The company even talked about how playing a game helped a stroke victim. Stopping timeAs our Brier Dudley noted recently it was a sad day for geek fashion last week when a Microsoft exec disclosed a permanent time out on new Spot watches.