PWRD(SZ:002624) Mei Ri Jing Ji Xin Wen·2025-04-27 00:34Core Viewpoint - 2024 presents both opportunities and challenges for the gaming industry, with established companies like Perfect World needing to adapt to remain competitive [1] Financial Performance - Perfect World reported a total revenue of 5.57 billion yuan in 2024, a decline of 28.50% from 7.79 billion yuan in the previous year [3] - The company incurred a net loss of 1.29 billion yuan, compared to a profit of 491 million yuan in 2023 [3] - The gaming segment, which accounts for 93% of total revenue, generated 5.18 billion yuan, down 22.32% year-on-year [3] Dividend and Shareholder Returns - Despite the losses, Perfect World plans to distribute a cash dividend of 2.3 yuan per 10 shares, totaling 437 million yuan [3] - Since 2015, the company has distributed a cumulative total of 5.49 billion yuan in dividends, representing over 60% of cumulative net profit [3] Recent Developments - The launch of "Zhu Xian World" in December 2024 is seen as a potential turning point, contributing to a revenue of 2.02 billion yuan in Q1 2025, a 52.22% increase year-on-year [7] - The gaming business in Q1 2025 achieved a revenue of 1.42 billion yuan, up 10.37% from the previous year, attributed to the success of "Zhu Xian World" [7] Project Cancellations and Losses - Several projects were canceled due to poor expected returns, resulting in a combined loss of approximately 397 million yuan [4] - The underperformance of games like "One Punch Man: World" and "Kairi's Million Arthur: Ring" led to additional losses of about 343 million yuan [4] Future Prospects - Perfect World is focusing on new game releases, having recently received approval for two new titles, "Golden Flash Knight Group" and "Lost" [8] - The anticipated game "Yihuan" is expected to be a key player in the company's transformation, with a global pre-registration of 2.8 million [9][10] Esports Strategy - The successful hosting of the Shanghai Major in 2024 has positioned Perfect World favorably in the esports sector, contributing to stable revenue from titles like "DOTA2" and "CS:GO" [12] - The esports business model is still evolving, with event revenues making up only 8.75% of the total esports market revenue [13] Conclusion - 2025 is critical for Perfect World as it seeks to maintain its core MMO offerings while breaking into new genres [14] - The success of "Zhu Xian World" provides a boost, but sustained growth will require additional successful titles and innovative strategies [14]