Chengdu Online Games of the war: Years of foundry once dream broken

As the fourth ranked national game city, but in the entrepreneurs, operators, local governments, investors, the dislocation of the step, tears sprinkle Tianfu. The status quo may be similar to those at the bottom of the industrial chain, and is also a microcosm of the development of many local games industries in China. "Deng Hai/Titanium Media editor" dream of being hit by the reality of the ground to find teeth! 90% of the game fetal death, in addition to the collapse is bought, it is difficult to get out of the third Road, and Chengdu's game team because of the acquisition and scattered around! "As a result of the overall acquisition and far away from Shanghai's" Sailing King "team members, in the titanium Media talk about the status of Chengdu gaming industry, still sobbing unceasingly, back to Chengdu, the idea, away from them more and more distant. Chengdu game developers who dream of playing in the field of the game, after more than 10 years of development, once again by the capital and market back to the initial stage of the foundry. "To start a business is the first cash flow, no money can not be done." Unless you have very creative thoughts or ideas. But this is too little. Second, if the cash flow is broken, there is a need for financing channels. Third, entrepreneurship is the key, if you have talent drain, need to be prepared. In fact, the most important thing is to insist. We just didn't stick to the last step ... "In the face of titanium media," The King of the Sea team members are frustrated and regret. Not only is "The King of the Sea", in the Titanium Media survey of the Western Games enterprises visit the process, a number of game enterprises have been mentioned, and now will be the development of their own game directly to the operator to do, 37 or even 28 of the split is very common, busy for half a day, the developers In addition, the rest of the choice is to go bankrupt, sell products and teams, or go back to being a foundry. Now, no investors are willing to vote for them, because too late, who is willing to invest so big, take risks to play? The pattern has been set, long-term profitability controlled, even the listing has become a problem! The status of Chengdu online games may be similar to those at the bottom of the industrial chain, but also the epitome of the development of many local games industry in China. Most of the time, the industrial chain is like the food chain, exposure to the bottom of the chain manufacturers often inevitable tragedy! Despite their intentions to make products, but seven-inch has always been the channel business and peace of Taiwanese businessmen pinch, and ultimately can only watch the dream far away. With the rise of outsourcing in the 2000, the dotcom bubble blew and the software outsourcing industry began looking for cheaper it labor in China to save costs. and Chengdu because of electronic science and technology colleges and professional many, just can meet their needs. followed by a large number of software companies layout in Chengdu, since 2000, the Chengdu software industry annual output value of almost every year can reach 30%, so far still maintain such an alarming rate of increase. December 2011, Chengdu was officially awarded the "China Software City", the country's third, the Midwest's first Chinese software city. Chengdu's gaming industry also started at this time, but they also mainly do outsourcing products, that is, foundry. 2000 domestic launch of the first in the sense of the net, 2001 Chengdu attracted by virtue of the "stoneTime in the domestic reputation of the international establishment of the Chinese-Italian branch. 2003, the Chinese-made game benchmarking character Qiu to Chengdu to create a dream factory to become the outbreak point, the game industry in Chengdu to create acceleration. By 2009, Chengdu's local net worth of online games has reached 2.5 billion yuan, accounting for 10% of the total online games, ranked the top four in the country. 2011, the output of Chengdu game reached 2.8 billion yuan, research and development team and the number of practitioners ranked fourth in the country. According to the 17173 survey, until 2006, Chengdu Game Enterprises In addition to Jinshan, Shanda Network, Tencent and other foreign enterprises, almost all local manufacturers still more or less the outsourcing business as an important part of the company's income, outside the research and development is the most common corporate revenue and expenditure model. For these enterprises, there are two ways to outsource, one is the most common, that is, to receive foreign orders, to help others to do; there is a game enterprise to Chengdu set up factories, they only do production. Although the latter is not the same as the simple foundry, but also with the bottom of the manufacturing for the brand is not different. The glory of the record behind the buried is bitterness, because the nature of the foundry is cheap. Although the generation of workers can bring employment, but can not create high profits, but also difficult to improve staff income and benefits, the labor and fertilizer will always flow into the field of outsiders. The lost industry chain in Chengdu's game Relationship Circle, began to appear a voice, since the product out of the hands of their own, can sell a good price, I can not do the sale himself? Then came the exploratory start from less to more, plus the help and support of local government, 2002 years later, Chengdu Chung Yi-hai sunny days, Kam-day technology, DreamWorks, such as the first batch of online games development company, trying to save the FEI situation. With government support, entrepreneurs courageously enter. However, at this time the game industry in China is already surging. 2000 China's first online game "King of Kings" published; In 2001, NetEase launched "Dahua West Tour Online", became the pioneer of the portal website into the network games, make the net swims become the profit growth point of the portal website; In 2002, The Grand Network has created its own business model by virtue of legend. Network game industry chain mainly by developers, operators, network equipment suppliers, network operators and users of a number of components. Game operators are usually responsible for upward contact with the game developers, the intermediary responsible for communication network operators, network equipment suppliers, down to deal with sales channels and user issues, position and key. In 2002 before and after the domestic total also has only 10 variety of online games, the game player optional range is very limited. The relationship between supply and demand causes operators to be in a relative disadvantage, and the licensing fees and fee splitting fees demanded by developers are very high. However, as the amount of online games is gradually increasing every year, the same is affected by the supply and demand relationship, the game operators are also beginning to be strong, because the middle link, need and every aspect of interaction, so became the whole industrial structure of the core part, the status becomes more and more strong. such as the Royal Network to do the agent to start the business, quickly through the use of Internet cafes to connect players, such as the rapid establishment of operational channel advantages. 2001, the Royal network operating income of only 160 million yuan, to 2004 years, the explosion to 1.2 billion yuan. The change of operating income of Shanda Network, the essence of the reaction is the change of game rules, the game developer becomes more and more dependent on operator. And at this time also do game product development in the Chengdu company, obviously has been slow one step, blink of an eye their throat again by people to choke, lost their own seven-inch! Change comes too soon! 2004, China appeared the first game listed companies, the domestic largest network game development and operators-nine cities in Nasdaq successfully listed. Still in the dream to rely on the production of good products, to take the operator throat of the Chengdu game Maker, it seems a bit unprepared, because the rules of the game is again strengthened, the threshold of the game operation is elevated! However, the game development enterprise in Chengdu has no other ability except development! With NetEase, Tencent, and so on, they do not have the former unique players to explore the channel, NetEase can import users through the mailbox, to the mailbox users push the game, Tencent can import users through QQ, QQ users recommend the game. What do they have, by contrast? Of course, they can also like the Royal network, through internet cafes, advertising, etc. to recommend their own games. But can you afford to play? Gaming operators, who have taken the initiative, have started to push up the cost of gaming operations, by raising the threshold of operations and discouraging simple game-development companies. Can not afford to play the capital game 2006, the giant began to promote the "journey" this online game, Shi Yuzhu at this time to do is to hit the money, by smashing the money first to kill the opponent, and then make money. Through tactics, the ground promotion team in the country 1800 city and county Internet Café cloth point, the highest promotion staff reached 20,000, relying on the main brain Platinum ground promotion team. At this time you enter the Internet café, there are people to you push "journey", in the free experience during the game to enter the player, can get a considerable value of the pet baby recharge time. What is the cost of the promotion staff about 20,000? You can afford it? In addition, Shi Yuzhu also regularly will the national 50,000 Internet cafes inside all the machine bag down, only allowed to play this game, each moonlight Chang fee will spend millions of dollars. Just Chang Fee, it is already equivalent to the development of Chengdu Game Development Enterprises and operating costs! In the end, although there are many other companies in the game, but we only remember the "journey." This kind of throwing money to do the promotion of the way, even the other players in the game world are Shi Yuzhu pressed to the ground, not to mention the newly arisen Chengdu entrepreneurs. and such a similar promotion directly elevated the threshold of the online games industry, now online games for each additional new users of the cost of about 40 yuan. However, "free games, paid equipment" is the general rule of Chinese games, but play free games willing to pay for the equipment players only within 5%. Titanium Media Calculate the account. Development of a tour of 1 million yuan, there are 100,000 registered users, need to spend 5 million yuan, in which 5% of the people, that is 5000 people, they do not need to spend 10000 yuan to sell equipment, in order to recover costs. Such a high investment can only reduce costs by attracting players on a large scale.Investment means a lot of money, you have so much to play with? Missed the operation of capacity building, and missed the listing, in the rapid growth of others, Chengdu game manufacturers are still relying on selling products. Want to solve the problem of money, such as loan, but also face the problems of game assets evaluation and the lack of collateral in the game manufacturing enterprises; need to find investors? It's too late, who's willing to put in so much risk playing with you? The pattern has been set, long-term profitability controlled, even the listing is also problematic, especially now! In the titanium media investigation process, a number of game companies have mentioned that the game is now the development of their own directly to the operator to do, 37 or even 28 of the split is very common, busy for half a day, the developers get only two or three. In addition, the rest of the choice is only to fail, or sell products and teams, or back in the past to continue to do the foundry. The pattern has been set! The choice of road is not a good way. Now Shanda, nine cities, Giants, NetEase and other strength-type gaming companies, has occupied the network game market most of the Jiangshan, at the same time has its own unique mode of business operation and industrial chain. In the Dream Factory, Kam-day technology, Yat-hoi Sunny as the representative of the Chengdu game developers, gradually by the Grand network, Bo Rui spread, perfect time and other acquisitions or investment, Chengdu's game operation ability becomes weaker. Because the acquirer put them into the game manufacturing basket, the most profitable link is not in Chengdu. Miss the online games era of "rich", can Chengdu grasp the new opportunity to live mobile phone game? Please see the titanium media "Chengdu Online Games" series Tomorrow next.