Innovative ability will become the most critical competitive

Tencent CEO Ma, the United States to see Blizzard CEO Bobby Botick at the same time in Shanghai, an innovative news conference scene. Here, Tencent announced that the United States will act as a blizzard company FPS video games Products "Call of deriving OL", the two major game giants strategic cooperation opened.

"It is expected that the application for renaming will be approved before July 13 and will then be subject to the external stock market," he said. July 5, Li Zongxin, chairman and president of Dongguan Sheng Si Network Technology Co., said in an interview with reporters that the company is expected to complete the Canada listing plan within this month.

Mobile phone design company Mirs Holdings recently officially announced to enter the field of online games, Mirs in the previous establishment of a Shanghai Miao Bo Technology subsidiary, specializing in mobile internet business, the future of Mirs's online business will operate in the subsidiary. Miao Bo CEO Zhang Yusong said, the company built its own web game operating platform 8787.com will be online recently, this platform is mainly for 25 to 35 years old male players.

After the rapid development of rational, gradually fade out of the news vision of the online games market, this July again, "Now the Web game market is still very lucrative." "The Zhang Yusong of the game seems to explain the reason for the market's renewed concern.

Market: 45 billion RMB

This year, the Ministry of Culture released its annual report on 2011 online games.

The report said that in 2011, China's online game market size (including Internet games and mobile gaming market) for 46.85 billion yuan, an increase of 34.4%, the growth rate turned up. Among them, the Internet game for 42.98 billion yuan, an increase of 33%, mobile network game for 3.87 billion yuan, an increase of 51.2%.

2011 Total number of Internet game users exceeded 160 million, an increase of 33%; among them, web game users continued to grow, the scale of 145 million people, the growth rate of 24%. Mobile network Download single game users more than 51 million people, growth rate of 46%, mobile online game users up to 11.3 million people, growth rate of 352%. Compared with the slow growth of Internet game users, the number of mobile network game users has increased rapidly.

Experts say the data suggest that mobile networks face an excellent opportunity. In the next few years, with the increase in the number of users, mobile network game market scale will also maintain a rapid development trend.

In this respect, Shanda Game chairman and CEO Tan told the "well-off • Financial intelligence" Reporter: "13 years, China's online gaming enterprises have completed from the agent to research and development of the jump, into a new round of high-speed growth period." 2011 Original online game published a record number of publications to reach 22 billion yuan, highlighting the Chinese game industry has a stronger independent creative research and development strength. In the next competition, the ability to innovate will become the most critical competitiveness. ”

Investment: A strategy for the King two steps away

Online games, English name Game. Refers to the Internet as a transmission medium, to Game operators server and user computers for processing terminals, to game client software for information Interactive window for the purpose of entertainment, leisure, communication and achieve virtual achievements of the sustainable individual multiplayer online game.

The current use of online games are mainly divided into two types: browser form, we usually say that the web game, it does not need to download the client, any place any time any computer can play the Internet, especially for office workers. The type and subject matter is very rich, typical type has role play (Heavenly book Chitan), the war Strategy (blood Three Kingdoms), the Community nurturance (Cat travels), SNS (Happy Farm), leisure athletics (catch up person) and so on.

The other is the client-side form, the game company set up the server to provide the game, the players are through the company provided by the client connected to the company server for the game, now called the network game most of this type. Most of these games come from Europe and the United States and Asia, the more popular is the World of Warcraft (US), through the FireWire (Korea), EVE (Iceland), Battlefield (Sweden), Final Fantasy 14 (Japan), Heaven 2 (Korea), Dream West Tour (China) and so on.

Initially, China's online games are basically through the agency to achieve, independent research and development of very few. 12 years ago, the Grand agent South Korea online games "blood legend" opened the Chinese online games era, "Blood legend" the best record is 600,000 people at the same time online. Because of "blood legend" of the hot sale, a huge pot full of profits, so, aroused the enthusiasm of many investors. A very short time, a large number of online games companies appear, even Shi Yuzhu also actively entered the online games market.

2007 is the golden period of Chinese online games. A large number of companies successfully listed, capital investment through a variety of ways into the online games industry. After the grand, nine city listing, the 2007 perfect time and space, Jinshan, Giant, network Dragon and other enterprises in different regions completed the IPO. Data show that in 2007, the Chinese market for online gaming companies have Chiu Yujia, the introduction of more than 600 games.

This is not the most important, the most important thing is that the Chinese online games market has been based on the former agent for the king, gradually evolved into independent research and development. Large-scale Shanda, Tencent, swimming and other game sites have created their own research and development department, their own game. Tan Introduction: "Shanda more than 80% of the income from its own copyright game products." And from the "Valley of the Dragon" to "star change" and then to the "0 World", Shanda independent research and development has been seeking a breakthrough. ”

After more than 10 years of development, China's online games market has been a qualitative change. As early as 2007, China's online gaming market has a feature worth noting, China's online game industry concentration significantly increased, the first 10 operators of income and accounted for the entire industry revenue of 91.8%. Tan that: "In a sense, China's online gaming industry has entered a monopolistic competition in the ' Warring States era ', for the emerging small and medium-sized online games operators, the industry competition threshold is further elevated. ”

Nowadays, the situation is more so, Chiu Yujia net swims the enterprise, die more than 20%, can profit and loss equal less than 40%. Still, it is an indisputable fact that online games suck gold.

Industry has done estimates, a game of research and development, 5 million of the cost, but as long as it can attract 100,000 of users, the return is generally over billion, such a return can be said to be 100%. Zhang Yusong said: "The net swims the market profit pattern is clear, the input is quick, therefore mirs will cut into the game market." ”

So, in today's market environment, how to operate, can be targeted?

The first step: see the opportunities under the challenge

In the exchange with Tan, the online gaming executive has been emphasizing innovation and opportunity. "In 1999-2003 years, China's Internet is still in its infancy. Shanda was just an online cartoon virtual community, has not found a particularly good profit model, the company at any time to face the risk of failure. I remember me and Chen Tianqiao, all day long for the company can survive and bother. ”

Later, met the "Blood Legend", a grand bet on all the assets, seize the opportunity. Agent mode has once become the classic model of online games. However, with the maturity of the market, the online game developers licensing fees and the requirements of the rise, and the agency operators of the conflict of interest is increasing.

Shanda and the "legend" of the development company-Korea Actoz in the agency cost issue on the dispute, Actoz unilaterally terminated the royal network of mainland China agent authorization. At that time, "Legend" is a grand almost all of the revenue pillar, the reform of the Grand has produced a fatal blow, but also to the entire industry sounded the alarm.

After, not only is grand, at that time has been active in Jinshan, NetEase, Giant, perfect and other companies, are feeling the pressure. So, change begins, independent research and development become consensus. Very smooth, the grand "legendary World", NetEase "Dahua West Tour", Jinshan "Swordsman Love" and so on, are off to a good start.

However, from then on, after more than 10 years of development, online games no more breakthroughs. Moreover, with the intensification of competition and the intervention of new media, the elimination rate of the whole industry has been rising year by year.

"Over the past two years, the world's most successful gaming platform has been Facebook and the iphone, which represents two development directions, a browser-borne game that spreads through social networks, and a smartphone-borne game that spreads through the app store." These two platform's rapid development causes the traditional large-scale game user group the change, the user will spend more time on the new platform, all these certainly to the traditional PC swims the market to bring the certain pressure. Tan told reporters.

This is the same as the agency model to the independent research and development of the crisis, the requirements of the traditional game enterprises must have a new strategy to guide the situation.

The reporter learned in the interview, "The Light swims" is the net swims the company to make the quickest coping strategy. Light online games means the birth of micro-client, many large games can only take a few minutes to download, the goal is to enable large-scale network games to reach more new users. Moreover, in order to adapt to the new communication platform, Tencent launched the mobile phone version of "QQ Restaurant", the Grand launch of "My country" official Android Chinese version, etc., are to adapt to the new market to respond. Do not let the platform lag, seems to be now the net swims the enterprise common pursuit innovation and change.

In addition, the Web game is more popular, Shanda plans to gradually the grand game under the brand of each of the online games, and Mirs holding the beginning of the preparation of the road to travel page.

Changes are at any time, in fact, Tencent chose to play in the current and dynamic blizzard cooperation, but also to break new market to prepare. As we all know, Blizzard is a myth of the game industry, its "Warcraft", "StarCraft" and so are classic.

Therefore, tan that the challenge has always been, whether timely innovation and adjustment is the key to winning.

Step two: Develop your own profit model

In the history of Chinese online games, the charging mode has experienced a pattern from charge to free. Now, with the increasingly mature network game users, China's online game profit model will usher in another shift.

Now, there are three kinds of charging mode of online games: Prop charge, time charge, client charge.

Prop charge: "Journey", "through the line of fire," and so are the way of charging. The cost of props is generally 5-100 yuan.

Time charge: "World of Warcraft", "Dream West Tour" are based on time charges. Domestic time charge online game prices roughly 5-180 yuan per hour. For example, NetEase card, including the 10-30-yuan range of recharge methods.

Client charges: "Battlefield Rebel Company 2", "StarCraft 2" are serial number binding account fees. The client charges the network game to need CD to activate, the general client charges the net game or the war net play all is will activate the serial number the price computation in the client, the price generally is 30-100 yuan.

In addition to the fee standard is not the same, in the profit model, the current online games have no new breakthroughs. In fact, earlier in order to be able to solve the problem of the Fund, 2007, Shanda has launched the "18 fund" this business model, so that Shanda games to become the original force of the game industry and the beneficiaries of the development of the industry.

After the grand, a number of online enterprises have launched their own fund plans, giant network of "win in the Giants", Sohu Tour of the "Treasure Plan", the "55 plan" of the Games, Blue Harbor Online "Condor plan" and other game funds have launched, online games enterprises have to VC mode to support the game development enterprises.

This mode, so that the game enterprises no longer do eggs chicken, but the transformation of the operation into a chicken farm, open their own key resources, into a lot of incubation start-up companies, thereby enhancing their core competitiveness.

However, the competitiveness of concentration, so that the industry's resources are highly concentrated, small and medium-sized online games companies are basically in the competition are slowly dead, the market 90% concentrated in the hands of several listed companies.

Today, the highly concentrated market is still facing fierce competition, and, as the user matures, the old profit model has been questioned, coupled with the number of free games available, the player is willing to pay the mentality of the game is slowly changing. Therefore, the search for new profit model is the next challenge of online games.

Risk: no money for boredom

No matter how to carry out strategic marketing, for online games, the essence is "content is king", after all, online games is also a kind of cultural industry. The reason why Blizzard can become the world's top gaming company is that its games are "fun", interesting and rich, uninteresting without money, this is the industry's consensus.

At present, China's online games market, although the agent has been transformed into independent research and development, but the user feedback experience is generally, China's independent research and development of the game is generally lack of fun, this is a big challenge for the company. Some games companies in order to attract players, and even the introduction of some content-biased products, attracted questions.

However, no matter how, Tan always believe that independent research and development, is the key to the construction of China's online games, independent research and development of online games is the game manufacturers grasp their economic lifeline, and promote the healthy development of domestic online games inevitable.

So, be as interesting as possible, also become the core competitiveness.