China's online gaming industry: A farewell to savage growth and a new breakthrough path

After several years of high profits crazy, online games gradually attributed to calm.　　The reason is that both the regulatory environment is becoming more stringent, but also the increase in competition caused by the revenue pressure, and consumers are becoming more and more picky. Where is the new breakout path? The signs are that only 66 people can develop a game in two months, and that the era of great success has gone.　　If you want to continue to make money, you really need to be a bit of a brain.　　Case one this is grand again ahead of the attempt, although now look at the next game ten years ago, the first five or six years, Game2.0 difficult to become the mainstream, but in this period if the Grand running-in success, in the follow-up years this is likely to become a game industry direction.　　Grand plan: Platform 2.0 Grand once again walk in front of the industry.　　Let the player become part of the game creation, inject more fresh blood for the game, become Game2.0 original intention. The reporter exclusively understands, the grand is carrying on the development based on the Game2.0 concept, the corresponding platform is "0 world".　　According to Shanda Group president and chief Technology officer, Shanda game chairman Tan to reporters, the game platform is in the final stage of research and development, is expected to be tested next summer. "Buddha said 3,000 world, we hope that 0 world is the starting point, on this platform, users can create their own world." The entire space is composed of "0 worlds" platform and various sizes of the world, users can enter different game scenes, to the world to play.　　Tan said. "To make the user's world as a game company's official server, the technology posed a great challenge, can be said to be a revolutionary technological change." Among them, the most important is the underlying architecture.　　Tan said that in a standard cloud computing architecture, users would just post the created content on the gaming platform without having to worry about which server was running or how much load it would have after the world. And in the existing network game, the number of online people to build the requirements of the server is different, and "0 world" all this will automatically, participate in the players as long as the game to update the logic and game content, the rest of us to complete.　　In fact, as early as 10 years ago, we realized the importance of the Game2.0 of the universal online games, and as the technology accumulated, it was formally put forward 3 years ago. Online gaming industry veteran, "video game Bus" editor-in-chief Liang Huadong that the idea is to develop a very good online games, can make the game more open, more growth. Tan says that in order for most players to gain control, the project team of the Grand game 0 World provides users with tools for development and editing, such as modeling, special effects, and task tools.　　Regardless of whether or not the user has a programming base, by using these tools, each user becomes the creator of the game.　　There will also be rewards: Players can gain, and the more creative elements they create, the more they gain. In fact, in addition to Game2.0 can make the game more close to the user, grand strategy is still, based on this platform, to discover and cultivateA group of Game studios.　　This would be much lower than the "18 fund" threshold it currently supports, as the latter is required to be a team with executive powers and to undergo a grand inspection. "After all, without technical support, it is not practical to spread money to support outside teams," he said. In the 0 World platform, three or four years later, anyone can participate in game development design. Just as the starting point changed the pattern of network literature, the Game2.0 model may not have subversive effects on the online games industry, but it can make more creativity absorbed at a lower threshold. "Tan said.　　[Page] Case II from the current situation, the giant is not short of cash, but the lack of a clear future.　　Giant Test water: "Journey" rehash in the product line single, the stock price depressed situation, Shi Yuzhu chose to hand Ma, the latter huge user base for each game tycoon envy. December 10, giant network and Tencent announced that the two sides will cooperate in the operation of the network game "green Journey." So far, the industry's long-guessed joint operations plan has finally settled.　　However, the effect of intermodal transport, although the possibility of failure is not small, but success is a very difficult. Joint operation is not the first Shi Yuzhu. January 13, 2009, Grand and Jinshan on the "Swordsman World", "Sword Net 2" reached a joint operation agreement. The cooperation between the two operators has opened the "era of joint operation" of large-scale online games.　　After the free mode, the platform of operation, the giant once again followed by the grand behind. Giant PR director Gu Jianbing told reporters, the giant is responsible for game design and content development, set up the server and operation-related technical support, such as bugs, plug report, equipment back.　　Tencent is responsible for customer service of the QQ login user's recharge and marketing activities. Liang Huadong, a veteran of the online gaming industry and editor of the video game bus, said the giant chose Tencent, which has the largest user base, as a partner. For the latter, "journey" has been the industry in the wind and cloud, in the annals of the writing of thick text. Tencent can also continue to expand in the online gaming industry. "Cooperation is the advantage of both sides of the acquisition of resources, each obtained." "And for the Giants," the way to get into the stock market is to innovate, which is what the good earnings forecasts have to do. Joint operations are also a means of increasing revenue under pressure from financial reporting.　　Liang Huadong said. On November 24, the giant network, which has fallen for nearly 15 months in a row, released its third-quarter earnings in 2009.　　The report showed that the Giants net revenue for the third quarter of 290 million yuan, compared with the second quarter of the income of 346 million yuan, the chain reduction of 20.3%, which is the giant since the IPO in the second lowest quarterly income quarter, the giant experienced about a year of adjustment period still in the trough wandering. Since the giant company since its inception, in the market to bring players a huge response to the only "journey" this game. The industry believes that the new game has not yet contributed to the company's profits under the premise, Shi Yuzhu can only rely on the "journey" againTimes rehash.　　The success of the "journey" of a successful listing of the company, currently only "journey" under the cover of the time version, retro version, free version, green version.　　Giant network in the "Journey" on the background of the article is: the two-tier market fiasco, deeply affected by the price, from the highest market capitalisation of the listed companies to 10 listed companies in the latter. This is not only by virtue of the "journey" a game can successfully enter the first echelon, the impact of the era of grand status, although only two years past, but the giant's lackluster performance, has made Wall Street unbearable.　　Giant shares are currently floating on 6.80 of billions of dollars, with the Giants trading at a minimum of $5.31 trillion over the past year, up to 9.57 dollars. "Share prices fell on the one hand by the big environmental impact, but the fall so deep, it also shows that the Giants themselves have a big problem."　　"The giant did not meet the expectations of foreign investors, the latter likes the product line is rich, the single product will give them no confidence, and no fund holdings, stock prices must not go." Despite the current giant's efforts to change the product line situation, announced in 2009 ChinaJoy in the next year, there will be 8 products launched. But such a strategic transition seems too late. It can be said that the giant company is experiencing a period of painful lean.　　The revenues of new games, such as King 3 and Xian Lu, are expected to continue in the first half of 2010, and the market expectations are unclear. The giant is to perfect time and space such as the development of online game mode change, or to Shanda, Tencent, such as the operation of the model, so that the industry can not penetrate. [Page] Overview of the beginning of the inflection point: Online games "fell" sound in a long period of 10 years after the rapid development of the online games industry into a turning point. December 13, the major online games companies in the third quarter of 2009 earnings release. From the data, despite the best, the general growth rate has fallen.　　Giants, Nets dragon, Jinshan, nine city and so on once the scenery of the company's business has been different degrees of decline. With the strengthening of policy regulation and the change of the rules of the online games industry, the introduction of a game often has to pay more than the early years of funds and efforts, but still may face failure.　　It is becoming more difficult for the company to get a slice of the game, and a new business order is in the making. Yu, chief executive of the big game, said: "If there are only 10 games in the market to choose from, just like 10 years ago when the games started in China, each game has a chance." But now every year more than 200 games enter the Chinese market, so consumers do not even recognize their time, let alone downloaded. So more and more games will never be able to gather popularity. "The big game companies used bad earnings to corroborate Yu's judgment. The company's valuations are now lower than those of other Internet companies, as investors have taken the risk of a possible annihilation of the next game. Unlike the early years of competing to create a price-earnings ratio legend, the game listed companies a "fall" sound。 Hong Kong listed companies net Dragon total revenue of about 159 million yuan, less than the second quarter of 2009, the decrease of about 7.4%, net profit fell by as much as 62%; old game company Jinshan also failed to escape the fate of net profit decline, the third quarter fell 28%; the giant third quarter net revenue than the last quarter of the chain　　%, the loss of "World of Warcraft" Nine city is "not expected" to appear as high as 90% of the decline, and grabbed the "Warcraft" NetEase did not realize the benefits of amplification, but because of high operating costs, the third quarter of the operating profit fell 21%. Long Travel network Vice President and marketing director Wu that the online games industry, many are listed companies, due to the shareholder is responsible for the growth rate of pressure, go down. In the past, the Chinese online games industry rely on star products supporting performance, such as "Legend" in Grand, "World of Warcraft" in nine Cities, "journey" of the Giants.　　And performance is affected by several listed companies are not new products can not keep up, can not form a benign sustained growth, resulting in stagnation or even retrogression. Have the first advantage of the old online gaming companies are struggling, new entrants to the company is more difficult, the threshold is getting higher. "Now, a product from research and development to testing needs two or three years time, investment to reach more than 50 million yuan." 10 years ago, the figure was only 5 million yuan. At the same time, the industry is short of high-end talent, companies have to pay high wages to dig people, which makes human costs rise fast. And their own training is equally risky.　　Wu said.　　The same theme of the online games are flooded with a variety of shanzhai version of the endless, resulting in the market saturation. In order to attract the attention of the player. The marketing of online games is becoming more and more difficult. Previously, online games in the site to play ads only from the click rate to see the results. And now manufacturers on the return of marketing requirements more accurate, in addition to the click Rate, but also to look at registration rates, active degree, or even accurate to through the advertising marketing in the user's Apru value (monthly average per user income) and consumption rate and other depth requirements.　　This makes the media for the online gaming customers to share the obligation to increase, advertising profit reduction. This led to a new industry dynamics, that is, the media began to think that users are no longer selling cheap to the online games vendors to advertise, rather than sell those as the core competitiveness of the high Apru value users, rather than directly to their own charges. So, Sina, Tencent Media platform, began to operate or joint operation of their own way, into the online games industry, to maintain their own users as a more important goal. [Page] Policy tightening 2009 years of online gaming industry is a misery.　　One side is its own development into a transition period, one side is the external air suddenly a lot of tension. In June this year, the Ministry of Culture issued a number of virtual currency related management documents, and stopped the "free online" model of the "Open box" and other suspected gambling settings.　　That led to a 20% fall in the company's third-quarter revenue. Since then, the online gaming industry, another regulatory body of the state press and publication administration has been investigated and closed 26 of vulgar networkTour and 45 illegal overseas online games, November 4, again shut down 45 illegally overseas online games.　　December 13 the director of Press and publication General Liu said that the press and publication administration will clean up all uncensored import games, unauthorised publishing of the games, to make a liquidation, huge fines and other treatment. November 18, the Ministry of Culture issued the "on improving and strengthening the network game content management work notice", explicitly put forward to the online game "hit the strange Upgrade" mode to limit, this is the Ministry of Culture for the first time on the content of online games issued relevant policies; On November 27, the national cultural market supervision work video　　Ministry of Culture to deploy: to the New Year's Day, during the spring Festival, focus on months time, special implementation of four aspects of the focus of supervision and regulation. The two ministries took turns to play under the pressure of supervision, online gaming companies feel the difficulty of breathing.　　The rivalry between the two was even Damin, the press and publication administration said it would terminate the approval of the World of Warcraft, while the Ministry of Culture responded that the board had exceeded its authority.　　Under the "three-set" provisions issued by the State Council of July 2008, the responsibility of the online Gaming Supervision Department is divided: the National press and publication Administration will approve the online publishing of the game publications; National Press and Publication Administration Network game management (online publishing without Internet games) responsibility is assigned to the Ministry of Culture.　　In other words, an imported online game to be online, must be approved by the Department, but also must accept the Ministry of Culture Management. No matter who is in the hands of the sword, it is certain that the network game industry chain of the long-term existence of the gray zone, will be one by one to standardize, and these involved in the yellow, gambling, excessive fees, game inflation and other problems are the main reasons for the early online gaming industry profiteering. With the decline of gray income, the change of business model is also imperative. [Page] reporter observes the savage ERA in the first 10 years, Chinese game people first to solve the problem of eating. Because the top position is very few, the net swims the company often chooses to be able to bear the cost and the time range, contributes the game for the Netizen.　　Therefore, we do not have a boutique online games, but the dedication to profit, and contributed to the world's only one prop charge of the online game model. In a pirate-infested market, the 26 billion yuan market created by China's online games is not worth mentioning in the national economy, but its economic and social impact is far less than that.　　But after successfully tackling the problem of eating, the next 10 years seem to be less than simple. In fact, people in the game development community feel that the domestic game research and development level and the international gap is getting bigger. And this has been too smooth for the last ten years of the game is unrelated.　　As online gaming companies go public, the wealth of early developers has ballooned, making them more content to enjoy and innovate. When gaming companies realized this, and began to attract internal and external researchers to work harder to dedicate innovative wisdom to new marketing tools, they found that players had become as resistant toTo "conquer".　　Maybe it's just a bad detail. Perhaps the picture is not real enough, perhaps exaggerated angle, perhaps a color is not coordinated, perhaps there is no music atmosphere, or perhaps just transmission too fast, players give up a game reason is becoming more and more simple, almost some of the artistic indicators can not be quantified. The land of the players, in the networked multiplayer interactive game after the novelty faded, is gradually put forward more and more entertainment experience requirements. The wild age past, the next 10 years, the game of land need is rational reconstruction.