PWI Interviews First Player to Hit 105 Level Cap

A few weeks ago, Perfect World International's first player hit the 105 level cap. Kitamura, an Assassin on the Lost City server, has been interviewed by Perfect World Entertainment to find out how she did it (without spending any money)!

"I felt great relief at accomplishing yet another goal in Perfect World. I felt that was possible to reach 105 back in May/June 2010 when I was doing experiments in frost with my brother to discover the best way to maximize the experience we could get out of the day limitations of Hyper Stones."

Read the full interview after the jump, and congratulations again to Kitamura!

Perfect World Releases New Behind the Scenes Video

Perfect World Entertainment has a special treat for anyone who's anticipating the new Genesis expansion for Perfect World International. A new video has been released which provides viewers with an inside look as the dev team works on Genesis.

"This stylish video is meant to give our loyal PWI players some insight into the development process; within it you will find our developers, designers, and artists in the midst of the creative process as they compose musical scores, motion capture graceful movements for animation, and bring beautiful new characters to life."

Along with the behind the scenes video (which you'll find after the jump), PW has also released a more detailed look at the upcoming Mystic Class. Check out three new videos that show off the Mystic's skills over at the official Perfect World International site.

1st Perfect World Character Reaches Level 105 Cap

It looks like a player has reached the highest milestone in Perfect World International. Perfect World Entertainment announced today that the first character in the game has hit the level 105 cap, and the player did it without spending any real world money. More details can be found in the press release after the jump.

So which character hit the cap? According to the rankings on the game's official site, Kitamura is the sole character to reach level 105. The character is an Assassin on the Lost City server. Only three characters are currently level 104.

Get Down With Perfect World's New Dances

As you probably already know, Perfect World International is gearing up for the release of their Genesis expansion. Included in Genesis will be new characters, zones, quest, you name it! So, to prepare for the release in February, PW is showing fans what the new dance moves will look like.

Youtube videos are now available showcasing the male and female seeker and mystic dances. Check out all the latest dance moves after the jump!

Perfect World: Genesis Teaser Site Unveiled

The teaser site for Perfect World International's Genesis expansion has been unveiled, and it includes an epic cinematic trailer and a tentative release date for the game. The update, which is scheduled to go live in February 2011, will completely change the free-to-play MMO by adding new classes, a new race, and much more.

Check out the new trailer after the jump and head over to the Genesis teaser site for more details on the expansion.

Genesis Expansion Set to Destroy Perfect World

Perfect World Entertainment has just announced that a major change to Perfect World International is on its way. Genesis, the new expansion, will bring about world-shattering changes as well as a new playable race.

Genesis is the culmination of a long told prophecy in which Perfect World will be destroyed. The race known as the Earthguards have been preparing for this post-apocalyptic world and will now be unleashed. The Earthguards are known for their arcane abilities and strong psychic powers.

Along with the new race will be two new classes, the seeker and the mystic. Players will be working toward restoring the world to it's perfect state through tons of new quests and content.

Swordsman Online's E3 reveal trailer

At this year's E3, Perfect World Entertainment also announced that they were in the process of developing a brand new MMORPG set in Louis Cha's world famous "Swordsman" book series. This MMORPG, which currently goes under the working title of "Swordsman Online" will aim to bring Ancient China to life, complete with ancient Chinese martial arts and combat. How PWE plans to implement this style of combat remains to be seen, but if you check out the trailer, you'll have to admit that some of those moves are pretty sweet looking. Could Perfect World Entertainment's Swordsman Online be the first MMORPG in North America to pull off that action-fps MMO hybrid, or do you think TERA Online will claim those honors first? Check out the trailer after the jump and you be the judge!

PWE will be developing new MMO, "Swordsman Online"

Just today, Perfect World Entertainment revealed details about the new MMORPG they were in the process of developing, currently titled (although this is a working title!) "Swordsman Online." Based on the hit Chinese book series, Swordsman Online "aims to bring Louis Cha's popular martial arts novel to a whole new audience." The Perfect World Team will be at E3 debuting the brand new trailer for Swordsman Online, so if you're in the area, you should check out their booth in the West Hall at Booth #5112.

Dr. Alan Chen, the CEO of Perfect World Entertainment Inc. notes that they are "extremely excited to be announcing Swordsman Online as a working title," and, as usual with Perfect World Entertainment MMORPGs, Swordsman Online will be free-to-play with microtransactions.

Runes of Magic to Recognize Gay Marriage

Runes of Magic publisher Frogster recently announced that it will support same-sex marriages in its upcoming expansion, Chapter III: The Elder Kingdoms. [via VideoGamer.com] The news might seem surprising to many video game fans, considering the MMO industry's awkward past with the LGBT community and previous issues regarding same-sex relationships in-game. As VideoGamer.com mentions in its article, Runes of Magic is developed by Runewalker, a Taiwanese studio. Taiwan's governing body is the Republic of China, which doesn't recognize same-sex marriages...nor does the People's Republic of China, in which case a mainland Chinese development studio probably wouldn't have been able or willing to incorporate similar gameplay mechanics. The Beijing-based Perfect World Entertainment, for example, has received criticism of sexism and discrimination for related reasons (to read PWE's response to this issue, see our Rising Tide Q&A from last year).

The in-game marriage system is a new feature that will be introduced in Runes of Magic's upcoming expansion, which will also provide character bonuses, according to the VideoGamer.com article. "Of course you can only be married with one person at the same time," Frogster's Philipp Senkbeil told the Web site. "It's even possible to have gay couples, so no need to just have a male and female character. Two male characters and two female characters can marry each other." The upcoming MMO feature has drawn the attention of many LGBT video game communities, such as GayGamer.net, which praised Runewalker for "taking a step that many Western developers have been to scared to tackle." Considering that some of the most-successful and seemingly-liberal U.S.-based publishers have "looked the other way" in previous circumstances, many MMO fans might be inclined to agree.

New Server Coming For Perfect World International

Perfect World International fans who are eager for a fresh start may be getting just that as a new PvE server "Archosaur," will be opening up on March 17th. The server will be based on West Coast times and it will be PWI's fourth West Coast server, seventh new server overall. This is a great chance for players to have the opportunity to start over fresh, or, if you've been interested in playing PWI but have been turned off by the high level player populations, then this is a chance for you to lead the pack! The opening of a new server will also help alleviate high server stress on the other Perfect World International servers, and players who already have an account on another server may have also received a coupon from PWI, allowing them to get an additional 20% off their next ZEN purchase.

Good luck on Archosaur, PWI enthusiasts!