In the past year, the online game industry slowed down, began to wave the day into the fight gold era. Games, social games, the game is the big crocodile brewing a new round of weapons. When large-scale online games encounter development bottlenecks, "Angry Birds" are beginning to fly higher.
Small game "Spring" • Spectator 2011
The biggest miracle of the 2010 gaming industry, no doubt, was created by Angry Birds: development costs of 100,000 dollars, 50 million downloads in 2010, and more than $8 million trillion in revenue from the US iphone version. Even without the "World of Warcraft" brought to the players of the maneuvers, stirring, but it is undeniable that small games, casual games bring the impact of the game industry is also far-reaching. Players joked about the game life is such a composition: "Plants vs Zombies I can, Fruit Ninja I understand, save Angry Birds." "At the same time, the competition for the players is further escalated by the industry giants to rob the developers."
After the Spring Festival of 2011, the development platform that the game alligator builds has surfaced. Following the grand acquisition of small game development platform Mochimedia, NetEase itown platform game igate plan exposure, a few days ago, there is also news that Tencent games developers platform and Advertising alliance will be in the near future official online operation.
No doubt who has more developer resources, who will take the initiative in the new round of challenges.
Player "lightweight"
Let the domestic game predators will be betting on small games, casual games, the most realistic background is "Plant vs Zombies", "Angry Birds", "Happy Farm" and other games of the crazy popular. This subtle change has actually emerged from the ChinaJoy of the 2010. "Zuma", "Plants vs Zombies" and other famous casual game developers Treasure opened the game announced with everyone network as a strategic partner, Giants, Shanda began to operate web games.
These subtle changes are certainly not groundless, and the lightweight game craze is coming. China online Games Annual White Paper disclosed that the 2009 domestic games market size reached 25.8 billion yuan, 2010 is expected to exceed 30 billion yuan. With player users breaking through 300 million, China has become the largest player in the world. At the same time, online gaming clients are also in the two level of differentiation: Heavyweight client, lightweight client is a web game, games, mobile games, etc. as the representative. Compared with large online games, this kind of game features no need to download, can play at any time, simple to start, and without losing interest.
In the eyes of the industry, these changes are undoubtedly linked to the big heat of Facebook and Twitter. The need for fragmented information in the community has been given a rigid release, with most people taking advantage of their leisure time to focus on their friends ' information, playing with the needs of small games, leading to the great heat of social gaming; on the other side, the MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) market is becoming increasingly competitive, and Game predators also need to find new breakthroughs.
A survey from South Korean players shows that "when a lot of players evaluate a game, if it's a casual game, it's the first impression, but the MMORPG game takes a while to make the right comment." "In other words, games and casual games are more likely to stick with customers for the first time," he said.
Layout developer
To take the top prize in the game of small games, developers have undoubtedly become the first resource that industry giants Rob. Up to now, Shanda, NetEase, nine cities have completed the preliminary layout. Of course, the different ways of layout also reflect the differences in their development strategies.
The first launch of the small game development platform to build a grand, grand game first to spend 80 million of dollars to buy mochi media platform, and then set up domestic developers in the domestic net. As an American game distribution and built-in advertising platform, Mochi Media's main task is to collect a variety of games, and the use of partners to promote the channel, while looking for advertisers, through the game in the built-in ads, the game developers, the platform itself and the channel side to benefit.
At the same time, the MMORPG on the performance of NetEase also joined the regiment, last December, NetEase Itown platform game also officially launched the iGATE program, began to accept the developer application. NetEase Games Vice President Ding said that NetEase plans to expand in the field of small game products, and the development of small game market ahead of time to prepare. In Ding view, although the light game market is growing, but the needs of game users have not been met, NetEase is based on such requirements began to develop small games.
Unlike the previous two, nine cities have combined the scramble for developer resources with the layout of their mobile internet. The city has acquired a minority stake in Aurorafeint Investment, thereby gaining OpenFeint's right to operate in China. OpenFeint is a mobile gaming social platform developed by American company Aurorafeint, aiming at the significance of OpenFeint's introduction to China, the vice president of the nine cities and general manager of wireless Internet Division Shen that the main reason is to assist developers to turn the game products from stand-alone to "light online", In order to increase user viscosity, consumption rate and play sex.
In fact, in addition to the most popular games, in the small game is undoubtedly the most valuable Tencent. Now the first Tencent, although the product line is quite rich, but from the 2010 Tencent's performance, the contribution or focus on leisure games and competitive games. Attached to the strong interpersonal platform QQ, "Underground City and Warriors", "crossing the line of fire," "The King of the Battlefield", "QQ Speed", "QQ flutter" and so have a decent performance.
According to Ding analysis, although each family in the small game layout of the fuss, the actual or quite different. Shanda is a flash game platform, mainly stand-alone design. NetEase Itown Small game platform mainly for client interactive game development, interactive games will be more, open will also be stronger.
It is also understood that in addition to the industry in advance layout of the crocodile, the new business model in China to try. At present, the number of online interactive 3D virtual world "from my World", as the type of second life of the Chinese version of the entry, but also intends to do a fuss on the open platform. According to Yepong, its chief executive, "My World" prefers an open network platform that will give third parties and ordinary users the ability to develop two of sites for interactive applications. This makes "My World" an Apple store or a Facebook open platform that has a common place in the business model.
Behind the smoke
Industry giants have joined the competition of small game developers, small game market natural smoke four.
Insiders believe that Tencent's small game developer platform once on the line, will be 4399, 7k7k and other traditional games platform impact, but also to Shanda, NetEase, nine cities and other previous layout caused the impact, further aggravated the small game market gunpowder.
At the beginning of the 2011, the campaign to defend the rights of small games has begun. First Tencent was accused of "infringement" hemp ball, pirated thousands of games, malicious shielding ads, in response to this, Tencent has not made a positive response. At the same time, Tencent will Beijing north Latitude Communications Technology Co., Ltd. sued the court, said its game "QQ bucket landlord" by the company cottage. On the surface is the right to defend the lawsuit, the actual is the Giants in the snatch game market, began a positive exchange of fire performance.
Apart from the business model, the details of how and when to share are also critical. The hemp net of Shanda game basically follows the way that the developer carry out advertisement income 55. In NetEase's igate plan, in addition to NetEase announced the establishment of online funds, will also be based on game operations and developers to achieve benefit sharing, for different games, developers will have divided into and online time two different profit models.
Game developers are most concerned about, of course, who can help them make money and live better. In a sense, players do not have to care about the angry bird behind the lives of the people, the development platform needs to be responsible for the game developers, this is to win the game of small games winning link.