Bin mehrfach auf diese Aktie gestoßen.... - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[smallcapstar]

The9 - Wer kennt die Firma .. Was haltet ihr vom aktuellen
Kurs ? Sehr volatiler Wert. Wird jetzt von Börsenbriefen empfohlen.
scs

[maverick4042]

Antwort auf Beitrag Nr.: 26.399.454 von smallcapstar am 22.12.06 14:51:49

Welche Börsenbriefe?
Empfehlungsdatum?

Danke und Gruß
maverick

[Datteljongleur]

Antwort auf Beitrag Nr.: 26.399.454 von smallcapstar am 22.12.06 14:51:49

Sehr volatiler Wert. Wird jetzt von Börsenbriefen empfohlen.

Dann wird`s Zeit auszusteigen!!

[Buddah]

Den Nerv treffen
The 9 Ltd..
Der chinesische Internetsektor steht unter strenger staatlicher Aufsicht. Davon kaum betroffen ist der boomende Markt für Rollenspiele im Web, im Fachjargon Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) genannt.
Das ist kein Wunder, schließlich können die Machthaber in Peking hier schon im Vorfeld prüfen, was die Spielebetreiber planen. Was nicht in den Kram passt, kommt nicht ins Netz. Inzwischen macht bereits jeder vierte der insgesamt 130 Millionen chinesischen Internetnutzer mit bei diesen Rollenspielen.

Die Analysten von Credit Suisse prognostizieren dem chinesischen OnlinespieleMarkt in diesem Jahr ein Umsatzwachstum von fast 40 Prozent auf 886 Millionen Dollar, bis 2010 könnte sich das Volumen auf 1,75 Milliarden Dollar nahezu verdoppeln.

The 9 ist mit 21 Prozent Marktanteil der zweitgrößte
Rollenspielbetreiber im Reich der Mitte. The 9 lebt von Abogebühren und dem Verkauf der Installationssoftware. Der Renner im The-9-Programm ist das Rollenspiel World of Warcraft mit rund sechs Millionen zahlenden Spielern.

In der Spitze klinkten sich zuletzt 660 000 Nutzer gleichzeitig ins Geschehen ein. Der Erfolg von World of Warcraft zeigt: Trotz des zunehmenden Angebots kostenloser Onlinespiele sind die Nutzer weiterhin bereit, für Spiele zu zahlen, wenn sie den Nerv treffen. The 9 meldete zuletzt gute Quartalszahlen.

Der Gewinn lag mit 33 Cent pro Aktie fünf Cent über den Erwartungen der Analysten. Die Chinesen horten fast 100 Millionen Dollar Nettoliquidität, der Unternehmenswert beträgt 550 Millionen Dollar. Mit Blick auf das hohe Marktwachstum ist die Gewinnbewertung (KGV 15 für 2007) moderat.
[02.12.2006]
Aus der WirtschaftsWoche 49/2006.
http://www.wiwo.de/pswiwo/fn/ww2/sfn/buildww/id/97/id/231652…

[smallcapstar]

The9 wurde im in den letzten Wochen u.a. empfohlen von
US Börsenbrief Bullmarket.com sowie von Bonner Kollegen
TAIPAN-Börsenbrief für Emerg.Markets.. mit der Headline
`Setzen Sie auf den China Star der Online-Computerspiele...
2007 KGV 11,4e Kontakt www.the9.com

Hab eine erste Position jetzt aufgebaut .. mal schauen wie´s läuft.

[S342]

Endlich mal ein Thread zu diesem Wert. Hatte schon die ganze Zeit darauf gewartet.
Den Artikel in der Wiwo habe ich auch gelesen, bin aber schon weit früher eingestiegen.
Bisher läufts ziemlich fein, wird auch in Zukunft so weitergehen.

[drknowledge]

Antwort auf Beitrag Nr.: 26.433.619 von S342 am 23.12.06 14:45:49

..wird auch in Zukunft so weitergehen...

Dafür wird schon allein das add on zu World of Warcraft sorgen!

gruss
Dr.k.

[S342]

oh ja. Die Community wird ständig größer, und jeder,der dabei ist, muss zwangsläufig auch das Addon kaufen!

[drknowledge]

Antwort auf Beitrag Nr.: 26.665.739 von S342 am 03.01.07 23:25:29

Wie wahr...

Ärgere mich grün und blau das ich nicht früher eingestiegen bin - spielend geld verdienen sozusagen

Einzig der extrem dünne handel ist etwas störend.

[S342]

Steig doch jetzt noch ein. Da gehts noch weiter up, wirst sehen. Noch ist es nicht zu spät.
Das Addon zu WoW kommt ja erst noch...

Burning Crusade Release
Ein offizieller Burning Crusade Erscheinungstermin wurde von Blizzard preisgegeben. Am 16 Januar 2007 wird TBC im Handel erhältlich sein. Burning Crusade gibt es für EUR 33,95 bei Amazon.
(Quelle:http://wowsource.4players.de/burning-crusade.php)

Information: Spieler insgesamt:
7.500.000+ (weltweit), davon in Europa 1.000.000+
Spieler gleichzeitig auf einem Server online:
ca. 2.300 [1]
(Quelle:www.wikipedia.de)

Bei über 7,5 mio Spielern weltweit dürfte sich das am 16.1.2007 kommende Addon im Kurs auf alle Fälle bemerkbar machen...

PS:Wie gesagt, keine Empfehlung, nur eine Meinung

[drknowledge]

Antwort auf Beitrag Nr.: 26.670.883 von S342 am 04.01.07 12:27:22

Nun ja, Kurzfristig denke ich nicht das viel im Kurs passiert, schliesslich ist ja schon sehr lange bekannt wann das Add on kommt, erstmal wird Blizzard hier wieder die Mörderkohle machen ..

Andererseits scheint den wert aber auch niemand zu kennen in D und Ö..

Hast du den handel in FFM die letzte zeit zufällig verfolgt ?

[S342]

N bisserle, aber ned viel... warum?

[drknowledge]

Antwort auf Beitrag Nr.: 26.680.939 von S342 am 04.01.07 20:56:51

Weil mich interessieren würde ob auch mal nen paar stücke gehandelt werden !? gestern und heute war ja gar nix !..

[S342]

Das Addon ist herrausen. Macht sich auch schön im Kurs bemerkbar

[S342]

Ähm, was war denn der gestrige Schlusskurs?In Frankfurt

[FreshCash]

Hi all,

Ihr wisst schon das das Addon zwar ein weltweiter release war, aber in China noch nicht draussen ist oder?

Macht aber nix. The9 geht seinen weg! Damit bleibt die Fantasie laenger erhalten

[S342]

Ouw jeah... den Kurs wollte ich sehen

[S342]

Sehr periodischer Kursanstieg. Kann man fast sogar sehen, wann man nachlegen kann Feiner Kurs

[FreshCash]

Gestern wurde bekanntgegeben das der "Burning Crusades Deal" in den trockenen Tuechern ist.

Interessant, das sich immer noch niemand fuer die Aktie interessiert. Alleine WoW wird den Umsatz und die Gewinne steigen lassen. Mit dem Update wird sich das noch beschleunigen. Ganz zu schweigen von den vielen Spielen die in diesem und naechsten Jahr noch rauskommen sollen... Die Aktie gibts geschenkt...

Ich tippe auf 50%+ bis Ende des Jahres.

[FreshCash]

ach ja... Q-Ergebnisse am 14. Feb. Man darf gespannt sein. Ich wieder mal mit einer Ueberaschung nach oben, so wie die letzten Quartale.

[FreshCash]

kaufe ein "rechne" am richtigen Platz. Dann macht auch dieser Satz einen Sinn.

[FreshCash]

Hi Leute was ist hier los? Wenn ich mich nicht verrechnet habe, gibts heute Nacht um 4.00 Uhr die Zahlen. Eigentlich sollten die bombig ausfallen. Andersrum ich weiss nicht genau wie der Deal mit WebZen da reingerechnet wird.

Mal sehen

[FreshCash]

Die Zahlen waren bombig! Weit ueber Analystenschaetzungen! Der Kurs steigt von einem ATH zum naechsten, keine Sau interessierts...

was will man da machen.

[Trendneutral]

An der Nasi -6%!!! Sell on good news?

T-News von IT-Times.de
15.02.2007
The9 präsentiert glänzende Zahlen

SHANGHAI - Chinas führender Online-Spielevermarkter The9 (Nasdaq: NCTY, WKN: A0DNY7) steigerte den Umsatz im vierten Quartal des abgelaufenen Geschäftsjahres um 21 Prozent auf 282,7 Mio. Yuan (36,2 Mio. US-Dollar). Das Unternehmen veröffentlichte am Donnerstag seine Quartals- und Ganzjahreszahlen.

Der Nettogewinn im vierten Quartal lag bei 105,1 Mio Yuan, was einer Steigerung um 63 Prozent entspricht. Auch im Jahresvergleich setzt sich der Aufwärtstrend fort. Der Umsatz zog um 112 Prozent auf 985,8 Mio. Yuan an, der Gewinn beträgt 312,5 Mio. Yuan - eine Steigerung um 331 Prozent. Das EBIT für das Geschäftsjahr 2006 liegt bei 476.3 Mio. Yuan.

The9 profitiert gerade von der Erweiterung von Blizzard Entertainments World of Warcraft, erwirtschaftet das Unternehmen doch derzeit nahezu seinen gesamten Umsatz durch das beliebte Online-Rollenspiel. Ende Januar sicherte sich das Unternehmen die Lizenz für die Erweiterung „Burning Crusade“ zu. Mitte Februar folgte die Lizenz für den Vertrieb des Massive Multiplayer First Person Shooters „Huxley“ auf dem chinesischen Markt. Damit baut The9 seine Führungsrolle auf dem Online-Spielemarkt weiter aus. (nis)

[FreshCash]

Jo, sell on good news. Die Schaeztungen der Analysten wurden mehr als deutlich uebertroffen. WoW boomt, das upgrade kommt demnaechst raus, starke Spiele Pipeline, Online Spiele ist ein super Wachstummarktin China. Geschaetzes Wachstum fuer THE9 sind 25%/Jahr fuer die naechsten 5 Jahre. Bei einer momentan leichten Unterbewertung von 20%.

Ich hab nochmal nachgefasst. Mein Ziel ist 50-60$ bis Jahresende. Hoffen allerdings auf einen Verdoppler. Also 75$.

[Blaueradler79]

Antwort auf Beitrag Nr.: 27.880.028 von FreshCash am 21.02.07 17:10:35

Wie sollte es zu dem Verdoppler kommen, sind doch bereits alle positiven Nachrichten eingepreist?! Was gibt es denn noch an Überraschungspotenzial?

Gruß

bA

[Desiree117]

Antwort auf Beitrag Nr.: 27.977.807 von Blaueradler79 am 26.02.07 12:50:08

Ich habe ein KGV von aktuell 22 % errechnet- korrigiert mich wenn ich falsch liege,- das ist für einen Wachstumswert nichts. China ist gerade man eben am kommen- und die Chinesen sind als "Spieler " bekannt. Würde mich nicht wundern, wenn der Gewinn sich 2007 verdreifacht. Ich glaube da ist eine Kursverdoppelung geradezu lächerlich.

[Desiree117]

Antwort auf Beitrag Nr.: 27.988.821 von Desiree117 am 26.02.07 19:52:17

sieht so aus, als würde es jetzt wieder steil nach oben gehen, noch jemand hier, der sich für die Aktie interessiert?

[dixilax]

Antwort auf Beitrag Nr.: 28.645.447 von Desiree117 am 03.04.07 18:32:38

Das habe ich heute dazu gefunden:

Nasdaq Inside schreibt: „Electronic Arts bleibt übernahmehungrig. Dieser Tage ist eine weitere mögliche Übernahmeabsicht ins Gespräch gekommen. Das Ziel soll der chinesische Spielehersteller The9 sein. Gerüchten zufolge ist Electronic Arts an einem Einstieg in das Unternehmen interessiert. Für rund 200 Mio. Dollar sollen 19% des Unternehmens aufgekauft werden. Im Ergebnis: Electronic Arts gab an, bislang keine Vereinbarung mit The9 getroffen zu haben. Damit wurde indirekt ein Interesse zugegeben. Für Electronic Arts wäre die Beteiligung an The9 sehr interessant, da sich damit in China ganz neue Möglichkeiten auftun würden.“

Gibts noch mehr darüber?

[FreshCash]

Hi, hab schon lange nicht mehr reingeschaut. Dachte es interessiert eh niemand.

Die neuesten Nachrichten zu Soul of the Ultimate Nation Betatests sind auch hervorragend.

Ausserdem kommen bald wieder Zahlen. Werden wie ueblich ueber den Analystenschaetzungen sein...

@Blaueradler79
Ich lach mich tot. Wo sollen die Nachrichten den eingepreist sein? In die 20% Unterbewertung? Ok die hat sich inzwischen verfluechtiggt durch das EA Geruecht. Aber trotzdem. Der Upgrade fuer WoW wird wieder mal voellig unterschaetzt, genauso wie das Spiel selber. Warum wohl sind die Analystenschaetzunng jedes Quartal zu niedrig? The9 besteht momentan nur aus WoW. 99% des Gewinns wird daraus generiert. Und selbst das rechtfertigt schon eine hoehere Bewertung. Jetzt kommt noch GuildWars dazu und Souls of the Ultimate Nation (das beliebteste Online Rollenspiel in SuedKorea, mal nur so am Rande). Es sind noch einige Spiele in der Pipeline, z.B. Hellgate London und von den Eigenentwicklungen die irgendwann kommen ganz zu schweigen.

Experten gehen davon aus, das Online Gaming in China in den naechsten Jahren um mind. 20%/anno steigen wird. The9 bietet mit WoW das weltweit beste Onlinerollenspiel an, das vom Produktlebenszyklus immer noch am wachsen ist. WoW ist immer noch konkurenzlos. Dazu kommen jetzt noch Knaller wie GuildWars und SUN. Also wird THE9 dann wie der Marktdurchschnitt wachsen oder schneller?

Nie war es einfacher "spielend" Geld zu verdienen... Das ist meine ganz persoenliche Meinung! Aber ich hab gut reden, sitze ja auch schon auf fetten Gewinnen!

Die einzige Gefahr die ich sehen, ist die Regierung. Aber deswegen setzt man ja auch nie alles auf ein Pferd.

[FreshCash]

Mal eine kleine Note am Rande...

In der SUN open Beta machen 400000 Leute mit. Bezahlte WoW Accounts gibts momentan 690000. Damit wird SUN in China genauso ein Blockbuster wie WoW! Leider kann man die Einnahmen trotzdem nicht 1 zu 1 vergleichen, weil fuer WoW wird pro Account und online Stunde bezahlt. Bei SUN nur fuer services/items/content, das Spiel an sich kann man kostenlos spielen.

Aber mit SUN/Guildwars/Burning Crusades duerften wir uns ueber die naechsten 2 Quartale keine Sorgen machen muessen. Und dann kommt ja noch FIFA, Hellgate London, Raknarok, etc...

[BrokerPK]

seit fast einem halben Jahr kein Eintrag mehr hier im Thread über The9.

Warum ist es so ruhig geworden?
warum ist der Wert eigentlich so stark zurückgekommen nachdem die chinesische Börse haussiert hat....!?
war der Kursantsieg vorher evtl.- mit dem Übernahmegerücht seitens EA begründet?

wie ist die fundamentale Bewertung aktuell?

[TeddyKGB]

HuHu!

keiner mehr da?

das Tal der Tränen ist durchschritten---habe ich beschlossen ----in zwei Wochen kommen Zahlen !

Gruß Teddy

[TeddyKGB]

It's a Perfect World for Chinese Gaming Developers
posted on: October 03, 2007 | about stocks: PWRD / SNDA / NTES / NCTY

It’s a perfect world for Chinese developers of online games. That’s because the industry is growing at a robust pace with gamers spending significant amounts of time (and money) on entertainment. The online game sector in China is expected to grow at a 26% rate from 2006 to 2011, and the red hot sub-sector in this group is Massivly Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs). These giant online games allow users to interact with thousands of concurrent players, basically living a “virtual life” within the game through the character they control.

Online game play is currently the #1 internet application in China in terms of time spent. The game playing appeals mostly to the 30 and under age group and is primarily a male phenomenon, although games are broadening their appeal in attempts to bring in the female players as well. China has long been criticized for its “one child” law and now many children and young adults have fewer potential playmates than in many other modern countries. At the same time, there are fewer national sports teams to follow, and censorship makes traditional TV less appealing so online gaming has filled the entertainment void for many young Chinese citizens.

The revenue model for the industry used to be based on time spent online playing. Gamers would buy time in blocks or be charged at the end of the period for the amount of time they had spent in the game. The model is now shifting to an item-based revenue platform where it is cheap (or free) to begin playing the game, but there are amenities that are purchased for real money as part of the game. This new revenue structure should allow more users initially drawing people who might not otherwise have spent the money to begin playing the game. These new entrants are now more likely to get hooked on the community and become involved to the point of buying items for their virtual character. Since developers are often able to continue to modify games, as long as particular games remain popular with users, there could be a very broad range of products that could be introduced into the games for users to purchase.

Currently Shanda Interactive (SNDA) is the leader with 29% of the online gaming market share. Other competitors include Netease.com Inc (NTES) and The9 (NCTY). At this point NTES has a fairly weak pipeline and is likely to try to defend its market share through strategic acquisitions.

At the same time, NCTY has had a tough quarter due to expenses related to their infrastructure build out, but is expected to release multiple games in the next year which should boost performance. Perfect World (PWRD) has only 5% of the total online gaming market but has developed leadership in the 3D MMPORPG market which is the fastest growing and most sustainable portion of the online gaming market.

Perfect World is known to have one of the most robust development engines for 3D games in the industry. This “engine” is a program that assists developers in creating the physics necessary with 3D game systems. Functions such as gravity, collision impact, and other artificial intelligence functions allow builders to create games that are very lifelike in much less time than it takes competitors to develop similar games.

The engine enables the games to be played on a variety of computer platforms and is able to take advantage of high performance systems and video cards while at the same time still being functional on lower quality computers.

In a “hit based” industry that requires massive acceptance of their product, being able to come to the market quickly with a quality product that outperforms competitors games is crucial. PWRD has a strong track record proving their ability to create such ground breaking games.

[Spy_vs_Spy]

Am 19.Mai gibts Q1-Zahlen

hier nochmal die Zahlen für zwosieben, da diese hier mangels Interesse noch nicht gepostet wurden

Fiscal Year 2007 Financial Highlights: -- Net revenues for the fiscal year 2007 increased by 30% year-over-year to RMB1.28 billion (US$175.4 million) from RMB985.8 million (US$135.1 million) for the fiscal year 2006. -- Net income for the fiscal year 2007 was RMB240.9 million (US$33.0 million), a 23% decrease year-over-year from RMB312.5 million (US$42.8 million) for the fiscal year 2006. Excluding financial subsidies of RMB21.1 million (US$2.9 million) and RMB31.0 million (US$4.2 million) received from the local government in fiscal year 2007 and 2006, respectively, net income for fiscal year 2007 decreased by 22% from fiscal year 2006. -- Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) was RMB559.9 million (US$76.8 million) for fiscal year 2007, compared with adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) of RMB496.5 million (US$68.1 million) for fiscal year 2006. -- Fully diluted earnings per share were RMB8.72 (US$1.19) and adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) per share were RMB20.26 (US$2.78) for the fiscal year 2007, compared with fully diluted earnings per share RMB12.72 (US$1.74) and fully diluted adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) per share RMB20.21 (US$2.77) for the fiscal year 2006.

http://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2008-02/artikel-…

Kann gar nicht verstehen warum sich keiner für dieses Teil interessiert. Vielleicht sollte man den Thread umbenennen in:

"China Internet-GoldFarming - KGV 7,5"

evtl würde aber auch Live-Kurs-Kommentierung helfen, gepaart mit ein ,zwei Smilies.

Werd mir die nächsten Tage ein paar ins Depot legen.
Um mit den Worten von jsIRA aus den Capsfool-Board zu schliessen.

Bull cycle has just started for the game player

[Spy_vs_Spy]

Passt doch für den Marktführer in China ->

Report: Chinese Online Games Market to Triple in Five Years
Authored by Jay Baage on May 2, 2008 - 9:59am.

Shanghai - China’s online video game market is expanding rapidly, with sales forecasted to grow from $1.7 billion in 2007 to $6 billion in 2012, according to a survey released by Niko Partners today.
“This market is attractive because it is leading the way for online games,” said Lisa Cosmas Hanson, managing partner of Niko Partners, according to VentureBeat.

Market research firm Niko Partners indicates that online gaming is the fastest growing legal games segment in terms of revenue in China, since an estimated 90 percent to 95 percent of packaged games sold in China are pirated copies.

Cosmas Hanson said that it is technologically easier for online game operators to prevent piracy in China and, as a result, online games such as “World Of Warcraft” now represent 95 percent of the Chinese market.

Niko estimates that the pirated packaged software market in China actually shrank from 9.7 million units in 2006 to 6.8 million units in 2007, mainly because of the increased adoption of peer-to-peer networks to download pirated games.

Joakim Baage

http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2008/05/02/report:-chinese-onli…

By the way NCTY@21,45$

[Spy_vs_Spy]

mal nebenbei -> 21,2 Tage Tage um die Shorts zu covern

The9 Ltd.
NCTY
Short Interest (Shares Short) 2,699,700
Days To Cover (Short Interest Ratio) 21.2
Short Percent of Float 11.30 %
Shares Float 23,900,000
Total Shares Outstanding 29,373,503
Trading Volume - Average 127,400

http://www.shortsqueeze.com/?symbol=ncty&submit=Short+Quote%…

NCTY @22,22$

[Spy_vs_Spy]

Wiederstand bei 23,37

Symbol : NTCY

Date/Time :2008-05-13 12:09:34 PM

Buy Rating :3.5
Sell Rating : 0
Target : 29.1
Pivot Price : 21.69
Support : 19.1
Resistance : 23.37

http://www.9trading.com/index.php?symbol=ntcy

NCTY@23,18

[Spy_vs_Spy]

Police Arrest Chinese Gold Farmers
By Earnest Cavalli EmailMay 12, 2008 | 1:46:45 PMCategories: Legal Matters


Police in China's Chengdu Shuangliu county have arrested two gold farmers after one reported the other for "unfair revenue distribution," reports Pacific Epoch.

The pair, surnamed Li and Zhang, ran a gold farming and virtual item sales business within World of Warcraft that employed 20 employees and had earned nearly $230,000 USD in revenue over the last seven months.

It remains unclear as to what, if any, involvement either Blizzard or Chinese World of Warcraft operator The9 had in the arrests, though presumably the company's support the police involvement.

http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/05/police-arrest-c.html

NCTY@25,09

[Spy_vs_Spy]

Video Game Industry: One of the Most Attractive Areas to Invest
by: Bruce Everiss posted on: May 15, 2008 | about stocks: AAPL / ERTS / GA / MSFT / NCTY / NOK / NTDOY.PK / NTES / SNDA / SNE / WZEN


The video game industry must be one of the most attractive areas to invest in right now. The business is booming, growing far faster than anyone predicted, as it makes the transition to being popular entertainment for the masses. And the industry is still at its very beginning, it will grow to be bigger than movies and TV combined as it leverages its key advantages of interactivity, connectivity and non linearity.

In recent years the industry has fragmented into many genres on many platforms, this trend will continue for some time. Also, technology has changed the marketing, sales and distribution model, significantly reducing the entry cost into many areas of game publishing. And there is the constant specter of piracy, with over half the video games in the world being stolen it is important to invest in areas where at least a majority of customers actually pay for playing the game.

The king of the market, the gold standard, is the subscription MMO. When these work they become massive cash cows generating tens of millions in monthly revenue. But they cost many tens of millions to make, need constant ongoing investment and have a very high probability of failure. The current leader is World of Warcraft which took the market over from Ultima Online and Everquest. One day its position will be challenged but it doesn’t look like it is happening any day soon.

Next comes the free to play MMO, often aimed at younger players. These are even bigger in player numbers than the subscription MMOs and seem to be less risky as businesses. Revenue comes from advertising, premium membership levels and micro payments for in game items. Some of the big players are RuneScape (6 million),Habbo (86 million avatars created, 8 million monthly unique users), Maple Story (nearly 60 million), Dofus (4 million), Ragnarok Online (25 million), Guild Wars (3 million), Club Penguin (4 million) and Webkinz (over 3 million).

Console gaming is easier to understand. Hit driven boxed retail products just like music CDs and film DVDs. The main opportunities are with the Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360 and the Sony (SNE) Playstation PS3, which are both a fair way from peaking in their product cycles. Product quality has now become immensely critical as knowledge travels instantly via the internet. To Metacritic below 8 is increasingly uncommercial, which is a good thing for everyone. Get it right and you too can gross half a billion dollars in one week as GTA IV just has. The total cost of developing and globally marketing a cross platform AAA game can now be in the tens of millions of dollars area. You need big resources so your hits can finance your inevitable misses, one reason the industry is consolidating into a small number of big players.

The console acts as an anti piracy dongle and is the main reason for the success of these platforms. The downside is that the platform holders take a fee out of every game published. These two factors together mean that console games are ridiculously expensive. Something that could eventually come to damage the business model.

The Nintendo (NTDOY.PK) Wii is not worth developing for. It is nearer the end of its life cycle than the other two consoles and it is mainly first party games published by Nintendo themselves that sell. Third party titles from other publishers are mainly low quality shovelware that have now frightened the consumer off.

The two handheld consoles, the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP are also not worth developing for despite the immense numbers of these that have been sold. Quite simply, piracy has ripped the market up. Vastly more people will steal your game than will pay for it.

Casual gaming is huge and probably growing faster than any other area of gaming. The ability to just drop in and spend a little time having fun then log out and get on with the rest of your life is very convenient. Far more appealing to many people than the commitment needed by hardcore games.

There are 200+ million people who play online casual games every month. Both downloadable and browser games. Services such as Pogo.com, Sandlot Games, Big Fish Games, Boonty, PlayFirst, Reflexive, RealArcade, and Trymedia Systems. Games are cheap to develop using Flash but the average quality is still very low, something that will change as the market matures. Revenue can come from advertising, premier membership and micropayments.

Traditional boxed PC retail games that have been with us for decades are just about dead, with most publishers giving up, killed by rampant piracy. Instead, there is a new breed of PC game centering on online play and sometimes episodic content. With unique user keys and services like Steam these can be made largely pirate proof. The PC game reinvented.

Mobile phone gaming has been declining in popularity, largely because the market is doubly fragmented. Too many different platforms and too many different air time providers make it almost impossible as a business model. All this is changing immensely rapidly with gaming on the Apple iPhone (AAPL) and the reinvention of Nokia (NOK) nGage as a software based gaming platform. These two will certainly overtake casual gaming to become the fastest growing sector of the business and have the potential to grow to become one of the major forms of gaming. This is the most exciting place to be just now.

There are still more valid business areas in gaming. All three platform holders now sell games online. These are smaller and easier to make then their full price boxed equivalent and the revenue stream is steady over a long period rather than spectacular over a short life. This business can only grow and grow and is well worth investing in, just make sure that you put marketing effort behind your games on these services, you can’t expect good sales otherwise.

Finally there is gaming on the social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. This is still small but has massive potential and we have seen the first cult hit with Scrabulous.

So there you have a quick sketch plan of the market. It is a dynamic and exciting place and you can be sure that it won’t be the same twelve months from now.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/77347-video-game-industry-on…

still long and kickin´

NCTY@26,75

[Spy_vs_Spy]

Heute dann Zahlen, bin mal gespannt!!!

Press Release Source: The9 Limited

/C O R R E C T I O N -- The9 Limited/
Monday May 19, 12:32 pm ET

In the news release, "The9 Limited Suspends Game Operations for 3 Days of Mourning for the Earthquake Tragedy in Southeast China," issued earlier today by The9 Limited over Xinhua PR Newswire, we are advised by the Company that in the headline and the body of the release, "Southeast China" should read "Southwest China."


The9 Limited Suspends Game Operations for 3 Days of Mourning for the Earthquake Tragedy in Southeast China

SHANGHAI, China, May 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The9 Limited (Nasdaq: NCTY - News; ''The9''), a leading online game operator in China, announced today that it will suspend the operations of World of Warcraft®, Soul of The Ultimate Nation(TM), Granado Espada, Joyful Journey West(TM), and MU® from May 19, 2008 to May 21, 2008, in response to the government's calling for three days of mourning for the earthquake tragedy in Southeast China. The operations of the foregoing games will be reestablished starting from the calendar day of May 22, 2008.

About The9 Limited

The9 Limited is a leading online game operator in China. The9's business is primarily focused on operating and developing high-quality games for the Chinese online game market. The9 directly or through affiliates operates licensed MMORPGs, consisting of MU®, Blizzard Entertainment®'s World of Warcraft®, Soul of The Ultimate Nation(TM), Granado Espada, and its first proprietary MMORPG, Joyful Journey West(TM), in mainland China. It has also obtained exclusive licenses to operate additional MMORPGs and advanced casual games in mainland China, including Hellgate: London, Ragnarok Online 2, Emil Chronicle Online, Huxley(TM), FIFA Online 2, Audition 2, Field of Honor, Audition and Atlantica. In addition, The9 is also developing various proprietary games, including Warriors of Fate Online(TM) and Fantastic Melody Online(TM).

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the ''safe harbor'' provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as ''will,'' ''expects,'' ''anticipates,'' ''future,'' ''intends,'' ''plans,'' ''believes,'' ''estimates'' and similar statements. Among other things, the business outlook and quotations from management in this press release contain forward-looking statements. The9 may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Forms 20-F and 6-K, etc., in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about The9's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, The9's limited operating history as an online game operator, political and economic policies of the Chinese government, the laws and regulations governing the online game industry, information disseminated over the Internet and Internet content providers in China, intensified government regulation of Internet cafes, The9's ability to retain existing players and attract new players, license, develop or acquire additional online games that are appealing to users, anticipate and adapt to changing consumer preferences and respond to competitive market conditions, and other risks and uncertainties outlined in The9's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual reports on Form 20-F. The9 does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Dahlia Wei
Senior Manager, Investor Relations
The9 Limited
Tel: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Web: http://www.corp.the9.com/


http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080519/cnm046.html?.v=4

NCTY@25,90

[Spy_vs_Spy]

Sieht doch recht vernünftig aus!

Press Release Source: The9 Limited

The9 Limited Reports First Quarter 2008 Unaudited Financial Results
Monday May 19, 5:00 pm ET

SHANGHAI, China, May 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The9 Limited (Nasdaq: NCTY - News; "The9"), a leading online game operator in China, announced today its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008.

First Quarter 2008 Financial Highlights:

-- Net revenues for the first quarter of 2008 increased by 4%
quarter-over-quarter and by 63% year-over-year to RMB439.4 million
(US$62.7 million).

-- Net revenues attributable to the operations of subscription-based games,
which included revenues from game playing time, merchandise and
installation package sales, increased by 1% quarter-over-quarter and by
47% year-over-year to RMB392.4 million (US$56.0 million) in the first
quarter of 2008; net revenues attributable to the operations of
item-sales based games, which included revenues from in-game item sales
and installation package sales, increased by 17% quarter-over-quarter
to RMB46.3 million (US$6.6 million) in the first quarter of 2008.

-- Net income for the first quarter of 2008 was RMB89.7 million
(US$12.8 million), a 4% increase from RMB86.0 million (US$12.3 million)
in the fourth quarter of 2007, and a 36% increase from RMB66.1 million
(US$9.4 million) in the first quarter of 2007. Excluding a financial
subsidy of RMB9.4 million (US$1.3 million) received from the local
government in the fourth quarter of 2007, net income increased by 17%
quarter-over-quarter in the first quarter of 2008.

-- Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) was RMB193.4 million (US$27.6 million) in
the first quarter of 2008, a quarter-over-quarter increase of 9% from
RMB176.9 million (US$25.2 million) in the fourth quarter of 2007, and a
year-over-year increase of 57% from RMB123.4 million (US$17.6 million)
in the first quarter of 2007.

-- Fully diluted earnings per share (one American Depositary Share
("ADS") represents one ordinary share) was RMB3.21 (US$0.46) for the
first quarter of 2008, compared with RMB2.93 (US$0.42) for the fourth
quarter of 2007, and RMB2.65 (US$0.38) for the first quarter of 2007.
Fully diluted adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) per share was RMB6.92 (US$0.99)
for the first quarter of 2008, compared with RMB6.02 (US$0.86) for the
fourth quarter of 2007 and RMB4.94 (US$0.70) for the first quarter of
2007.

-- Explanation of the Company's non-GAAP financial measures and the
related reconciliations to GAAP financial measures are included in the
accompanying "Non-GAAP Disclosure" and the "Reconciliations of
non-GAAP to GAAP results."


Management Comments:

Commenting on the first quarter 2008 results, Jun Zhu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The9 said, "We are very encouraged by our first quarter 2008 financial results with another record level of total revenues and strong earnings. The excellent financial results were achieved on back of resilient growth of Blizzard Entertainment®'s World of Warcraft®* despite the seasonality impact we experienced as usual in the first quarter of the year. Soul of The Ultimate Nation ("SUN") and Granado Espada ("GE") performed in line with our expectation, while GE contributed its first full-quarter revenue to the Company. In the first quarter of 2008, we attained aggregate peak concurrent users of approximately 1.2 million for games that are currently in commercial operations, and as of March 31, 2008, we had over 38.1 million total registered users.

We continued to execute our diversification strategy and have licensed another premium quality game, Atlantica, to mainland China. In addition, we recently made an equity investment in G10 Entertainment Inc., the developer of Audition 2, and enhanced the partnership between the two companies. We are also increasingly strengthening our efforts in in-house game development with more than five projects underway and scheduled for the next couple of years and beyond. With The9's focused strategy, diversified pipeline, premium game quality and content, proven ability to operate high-end games in the Chinese market, I believe The9 is well positioned for sustained growth in the future."

Xiaowei Chen, The9's President, commented, "We are pleased with our first quarter 2008 results. World of Warcraft rebounded strongly after the Chinese New Year holiday and even achieved slightly higher peak concurrent user level in the first quarter of 2008 compared to the previous quarter. With increasing player demand, we have launched the 9th server site for World of Warcraft, which was well received by users. At the same time, we successfully controlled our costs and spending and were able to deliver solid bottom-line performance. Regarding SUN and GE, we are working closely with the developers to introduce more frequent content upgrades and we are expecting gradually improving performance for both games."

(...)

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080519/cnm061.html?.v=1