Virtual Goods Wrap-Up For The Week Of March 19

By Chris Sherman On March 19, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Welcome to the Virtual Goods News Wrap-Up for the week of March 19, 2010. The Wrap-Up is where VGN spotlights stories that we didn't get to cover individually, but still make for interesting reading about the virtual goods industry.

GCash Enables Purchases Via Electronic Wallet

Starting next week, Globe Telecom subscribers in the Philippines will be able to begin buying virtual goods through a partnership with mobile pay provider Boku. Globe Telecom subscribers will use the company's ewallet service, GCash, to make the purchases.

In Virtual World, China Consumers Best U.S.

Chinese gamers outspend their American counterparts when it comes to online gaming. The article cites the super-popular title Perfect World as drawing $44 per month from one player on virtual items. Chinese players spent almost $5 billion on virtual goods in 2009, five times more than American gamers.

Ning CEO Gina Bianchini Stepping Down

Social network Ning's CEO Gina Bianchini is stepping down, to be replaced by current COO Jason Rosenthal. The announcement was made by Ning co-founder Marc Andreessen, who will remain as chairman.

Square-Enix To "Consider" Social Games

Square-Enix NA CEO John Yamamoto stated that the console and iPhone development giant would consider developing social games this week. Square-Enix has already developed some freemium MMOs, though it has yet to launch any of these games within the US.

The9 Says Its President Will Step Down In May

The President of Chinese online gaming giant The9, Xiaowei Chen, is stepping down from the position when her contract expires. CEO Jun Zhu will take over her responsibilities. Chen's reasons for leaving the company are personal.