Good news for fans of having continued adventures on the back of the financial expenditures of others: according to NCSoft's first quarter earnings call , Guild Wars 2 has experienced "consistent and strong" in-game gem sales, even as the sales of boxed game copies start to flag. It's also good news for ArenaNet, who can enjoy the spoils of a self-sustaining system through continued updates and tossed crabs .
"It is difficult for us to talk about the specifics in this area because it is a business issue," said managing director Nah Seong Chan, "but when compared to our initial expectation in terms of the box sales and the item sales, we have seen very consistent and strong performance in this area, and we do believe that we will be consistent going forward."
In which case, it's a strong base for the MMO to build on in the creation of new content and possible expansions . NCSoft saw a 322% rise in year-on-year net income, but still experienced a 49% drop in the last quarter - likely as Guild Wars 2 sales start to taper off. But a steady microtransaction market could happily support the game, as long as players can be drawn back by a steady flow of new experiences.
Which is exactly what Guild Wars 2 players are getting, continuing today with The Secret of Southsun, which shifts the game's living story into a new phase.
Thanks, PCGamesN .
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