Sales down, income up for NCsoft

Massively multiplayer online game specialist NCsoft has released its latest financials for the quarter ending July 31, 2007. The second quarter of 2007 saw the company's sales drop 11 percent to 75.9 billion Korean won ($82.1 million), and "operating income" rise a staggering 533 percent to 10.6 billion Korean won ($11.5 million) year over year. The company also announced that its net income had "returned to profitability."

The biggest percentage of sales came from the company's native land of Korea, with 59 percent of the total ($52.5 million), followed by North America with $13.9 million, Japan with $8.3 million, and Europe with $4.9 million. Royalties totalled $3.9 million.

Lineage II was the most successful title in Q2, racking up 32.1 billion Korean won ($34.7 million), followed by Lineage with 25.5 billion Korean won ($27.6 million). Guild Wars brought in 8.3 billion Korean won ($8.9 million), and City of Heroes/City of Villains 6.4 billion Korean won ($6.9 million). Although the two Lineage titles were ahead in sales, income dropped 16 percent for Lineage and 2 percent for Lineage II, while income from the City of Heroes/City of Villains franchise rose by 7 percent.

In the third quarter of 2007, Lineage II The Chaotic Throne: The Kamael will launch, along with SP Jam and Atrix. Aion will start closed beta testing on Halloween--October 31--in Korea. In the west, the Guild Wars expansion pack, Eye of the North is coming August 31, and upcoming sci-fi MMO Tabula Rasa is scheduled for an autumn release.