NetEase Q3 profit up 49% on higher games sales

NetEase.com (NTES.NASDAQ) booked a third-quarter net profit of US$88 million, up 49% year-on-year, as its upgraded game titles sparked higher sales, Bloomberg reported. Revenue from online games jumped 62% from the same period last year to US$189 million, with advertising sales up 88% at US$24 million. NetEase this year launched expansion packs for several of its games, including the August unveiling of "Wrath of the Lich King," an upgrade to Activision Blizzard’s (ATVI.NASDAQ) "World of Warcraft" role-playing game. According to Shanghai-based research firm iResearch, China’s online games sales rose 30% last year to US$4 billion.