Perfect World buys Cryptic Studios

By Robert Purchese Published 31 May, 2011

Chinese MMOer gets STO, Champions.

Cryptic Studios - creator of City of Heroes, Star Trek Online and Champions Online - has a buyer: Chinese MMO outfit Perfect World.

Perfect World paid $50.3 million (£30.4 million / €35 million) for Cryptic. That's 55 per cent more than Atari paid for Cryptic in 2008 - $27.5 million.

Perfect World runs free-to-play cartoon MMO Legend of Martial Arts as well as Battle of Immortals, which looks similar to World of Warcraft.

How Champions Online and Star Trek Online will slot into Perfect World's portfolio is unclear. With Champions Online already free-to-play, however, the transition should be painless.

Perfect World talks of the purchase as a great way to charge West. Will this mean significant investment for Cryptic's new almost-but-not-quite MMO Neverwinter?

Star Trek Online's Foundry mission maker tools.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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