Chinese MMOG Boasts 9 Million Players

Next Generation is reporting that Chinese Massive title Yulgang has hit 9 Million subscribers, just two months after the game's launch. Joystiq has commentary, and clarifications: " First, Yulgang does not require a registration or a subscription fee - and as many of you have pointed out in regards to Guild War's recent milestone, without subscription fees that number can seem quite inflated from the actual number of players. In fact, the maximum number of people playing Yulgang at any one time has been only 215,000. Which is still a high number, but less than one-thirtieth of its registered database."

Comments

Like Project Entropia

[Echnin]

"Rather than paying for time spent on the game itself as most other MMORPG
business models apply, Yulgang sells valued-added virtual merchandise and
services from its online game shop. This revenue model allows users to enjoy a
high degree of game playing flexibility. This distinctive model pioneered by
China.com, while having proven successful in Korea, is a breakthrough in
China."

Taken from http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT= 104&STORY=/www/story/08-13-2005/0004087731&EDATE=

Meh. That sounds like Project Entropia. Anyway, it might be fun. Wonder if it's open to international players.

Re:Like Project Entropia

[Soul-Burn666]

Sounds like what they have in MapleStory.
It's your standard run-of-the-mill Korean mmorpg (tho 2d and cute) but it's completely free to download, join and play. They survive by using a "cash shop". You can pay real money to have various items like pretty clothes or plastic surgery coupons, the ability to make it snow, the ability to open a shop and most importantly an item that gives you twice the EXP gained from monsters.

This new game seems to employ the same system.

How many computers in china?

[dtfarmer]

You know your MMOG is successful when you have more players subscribing than computers in the country....

I, kid.. actually they had 36 million in 2002 and that should have doubled by now according to estimates in that link. Of course the US had 190 million computers back then so it is still a high percentage of subscriptions compared to number of computers in the country....

This is not the first free asian MMORPG

[88NoSoup4U88]

The site has the exact same layout as the countless of other (mostly Korean) free MMORPG's/multiplayer games, and from the article, also seems to be using the same kind of business model :
These games can be played for free, and people can buy items/clothes/weapons for real money : The strange thing I always found is that most of the Korean crowd -really- digs to buy virtual clothes for their characters (some clothes don't even do anything : They just look fancy).
One of these games I really liked for awhile (which is now out of service) was ASDF Hoverboard
Back on topic, this game looks very nice ; And I hope they'll make an English version soon.

There was a very extensive list of those free (translated) Korean MMORPG's on Fileplanet, but with their new overhaul of the site it's impossible for me to find atm.

Re:Must be a fun game

[Onan]

Isn't it a little early in the morning for racism?

Possible way to inflate the numbers

[Whyte Panther]

Hmm, if anyone can have as many free registrations as they want, then they can allow only one character per account, and let all the alts drive their numbers up more. I haven't investigated this game to see if that is actually happening, but it does seem to be a possibility.