Perfect World Acquires $8.4M Stake In Runic Games

Perfect World acquired an $8.4 million majority stake in Torchlight developer Runic Games this week. While Torchlight is a digitally-distributed single-player action RPG, Runic planned to use the game's setting and combat engine as the basis for an upcoming freemium MMORPG. The single-player Torchlight has sold over 500,000 copies. 

For Perfect World, the Runic Games investment is all about strengthening its research & development capacity. Perfect World wants to combine Runic Games's ability to develop sophisticated gameplay and graphics engines with its own expertise when it comes to publishing and administrating freemium MMOs. What Perfect World really seems to want out of this is a game that can be a big global hit. 

As a consequence of the investment deal, Perfect World will now act as publisher for Runic Games's forthcoming Torchlight-based MMO. Perfect World is the developer of the hit Chinese freemium MMOs Perfect World and Battle of the Immortals. The firm has localized these games through its US-based Perfect World International arm, but they haven't duplicated their Chinese success overseas. 

[via Worlds in Motion]

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