Chinesegamer International and Wayi International Digital Entertainment, two developers/operators of online games in Taiwan, on October 30 announced the launch of their self-developed 2D MMORPG (massively multi-player online role-playing game) Six Saints Online and online game Formosa Mahjong, respectively.

Six Saints Online is free to play and is expected to attract 30,000 simultaneous players by the end of 2007, Chinesegamer indicated. Sales of items used in the game will bring estimated monthly revenues of NT$10 million (US$308,000), Chinesegamer indicated. The relatively small investment to develop a 2D online game is likely to be more profitable than the relatively large investment to develop a 3D one, according to Chinesegamer chairman Chin-pou Wang.

Wayi is cooperating with Gamania Digital Entertainment, another developer/operator of online games in Taiwan, to operate Formosa Mahjong by making the game available to Gamania's subscribing members, Wayi noted. This is to quickly expand the user base of the game, Wayi explained. This is the first time the two companies have jointly operated an online game in Taiwan, Wayi pointed out.

According to the Chinese-language Commercial Times newspaper, Chinesegamer will launch six self-developed online games in 2008 and its total licensing revenues from oversea markets will rise from US$2.8-3.0 million in 2007 to US$4.0 million in 2008.