Today the payment services provider PlaySpan announced that it would partner with Changyou.com, allowing the MMO portal's players to buy virtual goods using PlaySpan's UltimatePay. Changyou.com is the US branch of Chinese online gaming giant Changyou, primarily offering English localized versions of Changyou's games. The payment partnership will allow US, European, and Malaysian Changyou.com players to pay for goods in games including Dragon Oath and Blade Wars.
DragonOath is the US title of one of Changyou's most lucrative games, Tian Long Ba Bu. Likewise, Blade Wars is the localized title of Changyou's mature but profitable title Blade Hero 2, one of the first MMOs fully developed in China. Dragon Oath is available to play online now, with Blade War scheduled to launch later this year.
UltimatePay is PlaySpan's new name for the suite of payment services it can offer providers. UltimatePay includes compatibility with PlaySpan's Ultimate Game Card, cash-based payments through Spare Change, credit card, PayPal, and mobile pay support. It's not clear if PlaySpan's UltimatePay deal also includes support for the PlaySpan Marketplace.
Changyou's Chinese business has boomed throughout 2009, with $267 million in revenue and a successful IPO for the company early last year. Much of that success was driven by the Chinese-language versions of Dragon Oath and Blade Wars, but it's worth noting that both games are already mature titles in the Chinese market.
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