South Korea-based NCsoft has reported giant leaps in third quarter profit and revenue on the back of the western release of its latest MMORPG, Aion.

Third quarter revenues rose 112 per cent year-on-year to KRW 116.3 billion ($100m/£60m), while net income soared 836 per cent to KRW 46.9 billion ($40.5m/£24.1m).

The publisher attributed the gains to the global launch of Aion. The game was released in Korea in November 2008 and in Japan and Taiwan in July 2009, driving notable success for the company in Asia and strong growth in the first and second fiscal quarters. It repeated the trick during the company’s third quarter. Having launched in late September in the US and Europe, the title has sold a combined 970,000 units in the territories.

Aion generated 52 per cent of the publisher's global sales during the third quarter. Lineage 2 followed (24 per cent), ahead of City of Heroes/Villains (four per cent) and Guild Wars (three per cent).

Korean sales accounted for 48 per cent of revenues, with North American and European sales generating 15 per cent and ten per cent of the total.