The team from Perfect World International has provided us with this new developer journal discussing the Wardrobe System, which will be implemented into the game after the release of the "Age of Spirits" expansion.

Following our latest expansion, the "Age of Spirits", we have implemented a series of new changes and enhancements for our players. Following the release of this expansion, Perfect World International will be implementing the Wardrobe system.

The Wardrobe is similar to a stash or bank storage, except it exclusively holds Fashion items. Fashion items are extremely popular in Perfect World International, and players can access these items regardless of whether or not they choose to invest in the cash shop. The addition of the Wardrobe System is an attempt to accommodate the extremely diverse and expansive fashion selection available to our users.

A new addition for our fashion conscious players is the new ability to automatically rotate fashion outfits. Players can set their Wardrobe to switch up to eight different outfits, either in the order of their choosing or at random. They can also set the frequency of these changes--from every minute to several hours.

Read up on the Wardrobe System

At E3 2009, we spoke to Jonathan Belliss - the Product Manager for Perfect World International - about his project, what they've been up to and where they're headed. Check out this video interview below.

And then let us know what you think on the forums!

Perfect World Entertainment has announced the launch of The Age of Spirits expansion for Perfect World International.

May 19, 2009 – Redwood City, CA - Perfect World Entertainment Inc. (“PWE” or the “Company”), a wholly owned US subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd., today announced the launch of “The Age of Spirits,” the second expansion for its popular free-to-play MMORPG, Perfect World International which currently has more than 50 million players worldwide.

“The Age of Spirits” expansion includes a myriad of new features and complete revamps of existing features. The “Find Quest” system has undergone a complete overhaul, allowing players to more easily progress through the game and identify objectives. More significantly, players can now attain little spirits or “Genies” that aid them in their adventures. These non-corporeal pets allow players to further customize their gameplay by providing them access to a huge array of new skills.

Read more here.

The dev team over at Perfect World International has provided us with this developer journal describing the "Genie System" that comes with the game's second expansion, Age of Spirits.

Our second expansion, "Age of Spirits", will open up a new layer of customization for PWI players with the release of the Genie system. The Genie system allows players to further refine and add to their current skill set to make battle even more exciting.

The Genie system will allow players to access a completely new set of skills that can be interchanged and customized to their liking. This means more well-rounded players, and more strategic gameplay. In terms of PvE, players could obtain skills to help them slay monsters and bosses faster and more efficiently. In addition to the improvements in PvE battle strategies, the use of Genies will also change the way players participate in PvP, whether that be in duels or Territory Wars.

Read Exploring the Genie System

The folks from Perfect World International have sent along this developer diary overview of the game and where it stands to date.

Perfect World International (PWI) is the English-based, international version of Perfect World II--one of the most successful 3D MMORPGs in more than 14 countries worldwide. The game is deeply rooted in Chinese mythology and lore.

PWI offers a wide variety of immersive gameplay that set it apart from other MMORPGs. One of the most unique aspects of PWI is its in-depth character customization. Players can adjust every aspect of their face: width, height, eyes shape, lip fullness--everything can be customized to your preference. On par with the customization found in "triple A" console games, players can create and play as anyone--themselves included! This is possible with all of the varied races.

Read the Game Overview Dev Journal

While at GDC we spoke to Jon Belliss, Product Manager for Perfect World International, and he filled us in on the game's most recent expansion, and provided a few details of the expansion that is currently in the works

Watch the Interview with Jon Belliss, Part One - Expansions

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Jon Belliss, product manager for Perfect World International where he spoke to us about their take on the free to play business model, how more people are playing for free than you might think, and the future of free to play.

Watch Jon Belliss on Free to Play

The developers of Perfect World International have provided us with this developer journal highlighting mounts in their MMORPG.

The sun is slowly setting as you return to town. Returning from an epic journey your inventory is packed to the brim. Wearing only the most elite equipment, your armor seemingly changes color as the sun falls past the horizon. As you make your way into the town square, head begin to turn. Players stop what they're doing and look in your general direction. Some players pretend to ignore you and seemingly go about their business; but you know on the other side of their monitor, the user is maneuvering their mouse, pivoting their camera controls to follow you.

Read All About Mounts

The folks from Perfect World International have sent along these class screenshots and overviews for our viewing pleasure.

The Barbarian is the tanking class of Perfect World International. The weapon that this particular Barbarian is holding is not only awe inspiring but extravagant. The theme of this weapon is that it appears to be an actual living creature. Looking at the base of the hammer, you can see that it resembles a tail or fin. The base of the weapon also has a red glow that looks electric when in motion.

Read Screenshot Class Overviews

In our continuing series of of developer journals discussing the ways in which the developers from Perfect World International are localizing the game for the North American market, we take a look at the Venomancer in a number of different incarnations.

The Venomancer is the pet class of Perfect World International. Being a part of the Untamed race, they have a strong kinship with the animals of Perfect World. Venomancers come in various forms, their most common form being that of a fox.

Read Localization of the Venomancer

The good folks over at Perfect World International have provided us with this visual representation of some of the ways that their game is being localized from the Chinese version to a North American version.

Not all Chinese people like American food, and not all Americans like Chinese food. You can probably find more Americans that like Panda Express (Americanized Chinese Cuisine) than Americans that like genuine Chinese food.

This is a simple analogy to the approach we took with our concept art for Perfect World International.

Some of the differences between these characters are extremely subtle, while others are quite obvious. One thing that we put a strong emphasis both in China and the United States is that these characters need to be representative of each country’s respective culture.

Read Localization of the Blademaster

The folks at Perfect World have announced that the beta for the International English, German and Spanish versions has begun.

Games-masters.com today confirmed that the eagerly anticipated open beta of its massively multiplayer online game, Perfect World, will begin now for its International English, German and Spanish versions. Having successfully completed several stages of closed testing, the game will be made available to millions of players across the globe, giving thousands the chance to experience what many have labelled as the leader in the free-to-play online games market.

"We would like to thank all those who have helped with the early phases of testing" stated Howard Lee, President of Games-Masters.com. "We have been blown away by the early response and look forward to finally meeting the hundreds of thousands of players who have already shown their interest in this fantastic game."

"Perfect World II" is a vast online role-playing game set in a fantasy world with many extra features such as character customization to an unprecedented in game level with self built characters. In addition the fighting experience is taken to literally a new level with extensive fighting whilst in flight to offer the gamer a truly unique 3D experience.

The excitement is further enhanced by Guild territory ownership and the ability for guilds to build structures on their territory. The world has its battles and quests in land, sea and air in a huge, open and continuous world with different areas is real time simulations with a natural day-and-night-cycle, changing weather (sun, rain, thunder, snow, clouds ...).

With successes already in Asia and America, the European version looks set to take the online games market by storm. Translated into English, German and Spanish, the open beta will offer a truly Multilanguage setting, providing access to millions of non-English speaking players from regions all over the world.

Furthermore with a number of events planned for the open beta period, including level up races and bug treasure hunts, the open beta is set to be a fun experience for all.

Read more here.

Perfect World Entertainment has released an all-new trailer which provides gamers with an in-depth look at the story behind Perfect World International.

Watch the trailer here

MMORPG.com Perfect World International Correspondent Robert Sollazzo takes a first look at the beta for the upcoming free 2 play MMORPG Perfect World International.

Perfect World... Now where have I heard that name before?

There's a simple answer to that; an answer that doesn't involve questioning your sanity or using advanced psychotherapy to recover memories best left forgotten. Originally launching in China three years ago, Perfect World transitioned from a subscription based platform to free play, garnering enough interest to warrant a United States launch as Perfect World International. Servers for this new offering went live in closed beta August 19th, and we here at MMORPG.com couldn't help but to wonder what changes had been made for the international release.

As it turns out, not that many.

Like its Chinese and Malaysian cousin, Perfect World: International appears to be a game of give and take, excelling in some areas while falling critically short in others. While such oversights would be clearly unacceptable under a subscription based model, free to play changes everything.

Read the article here.