Mobile game "Big" era entrepreneur "bird" anxiety

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In Shanghai's hot air, Mighty Eagle wears his thick red long-sleeved turtleneck. But the eye-catching cartoon bird on his chest soon made him a popular man in China.

Mighty Eagle is the chief marketing officer for Rovio, the developer of Angry Birds, and Chinese mobile game developers are flocking in hopes of learning from him and becoming the next angry bird.

The entrepreneurial zeal opened by Apple's App store has been sweeping the world at an unprecedented rate, but some recent signs suggest that the next angry bird is likely to become increasingly difficult to come by.

"The App Store offers opportunities for individual developers, but it does not mean that the opportunity to get rich overnight is diminishing." "Another very popular game" Plant vs Zombies "developers Bao Kai Company (POPCAP), general manager of China Kun to reporters.

Transition

"Angry Birds" and "Plants vs Zombies" are accelerating the development of derivatives

Relying on Apple's App store platform to "get rich overnight", Rovio, a developer of Angry Birds, has become the world's second-largest mobile gaming player after Gameloft and has made a big investment.

In fact, Angry Birds are trying to make a fortune by using their current fiery popularity before the more intense competition arrives.

At the ChinaJoy Fair in Shanghai recently, Henri, senior vice president of Rovio's Asia business, told our correspondent that the company would soon open its China office in Shanghai and that the office was in the process of preparing for the year, This will be the company's second office outside the Helsinki Headquarters.

But their approach to the Chinese market was unexpected, Rovio's chief marketing officer, Mighty Eagle, revealed that it would immediately open hundreds of "Angry Birds" licensed stores in China to sell "Angry Birds"-related derivatives, including toys and shoes.

At present, the Hong Kong Mountain Group is designated as "Angry Birds" in greater China brand authorized exclusive Distributor. They are even ready to launch the "Angry Birds" pictorial mooncakes to please Chinese consumers.

Mighty Eagle told reporters that at present the company's revenue is mainly composed of three major components-the Apple App Store download charges, Android and other free platforms on the advertising implant, as well as toys, such as the licensing of peripheral products, in which the licensing of peripheral products has accounted for the company's total revenue of 40% About。

Angry Birds have announced more than once that they want to become a Disney-like Entertainment kingdom, and that its developer Rovio is filming the Angry Birds theme film to magnify that influence.

By the end of July, "Angry Birds," the Global download volume has reached 300 million, daily users online about 3 billion minutes, daily active users up to 15 million, monthly active users up to 120 million. Rovio hopes that by the end of next year, its download capacity will reach 1 billion.

"Plants vs Zombies" is also walking the same path. Bao Kai Company (POPCAP) China general manager Kun told reporters, relying on this hot game, treasure Open Game (POPCAP) to the United States to authorize the sale of the game-style T-shirt, and ready to sell toys in China and other derivative products. At the same time, Bao-Kai is also working with Renren, the "Plant vs Zombies" to create a social game.

The indications are that even for the games that have been successful in the App Store, it is necessary to diversify the profit model as early as possible rather than putting eggs in one basket. Rovio CEO Mchaid admits that no industry in the world is as competitive as app development.

Statistics show that the days of relying solely on game downloads are getting sadder, with the average selling price of 2.01 dollars in the top 300 apps in the App Store last June, and the average price has fallen to 1.69 dollars this January. In June 2011, the average price fell again to $1.44.

The age of "big"

At present, the top 25 or even the top 50 games in Apple's App store have seen fewer individual developers, and big vendors have become regulars on the list.

The increasingly fierce competition in the App Store is making the market's barriers more and more high after creating a handful of rich myths.

Kun to reporters that the current Apple App Store ranked top 25 or even the top 50 games have been less and more to see the figure of individual developers, big manufacturers become the list of regulars.

"And that proportion is still decreasing, not increasing, what does that mean?" It's an open platform, and it's because it's open, and as more individual developers profit from it early on, the market is becoming more competitive. "Kun said.

The head of the Air network iphone project, a loud analysis to reporters, the game to promote the success of a mobile phone in the weight of more and more weight, "said simply to advertise", but the small and medium-sized development team did not have the money to put expensive ads.

To some extent, Angry birds and plants vs zombies should be thankful that the success of the Angry Birds is fraught with accidental factors-if the game is postponed for some time, it is likely to be submerged in the App store's hundreds of thousands of games long ago.

Kun says big, powerful vendors can eventually spend longer and more money on a project, and ultimately more likely to be a winner on an open platform than a personal developer.

Hawkins, the founder of EA, has sharply criticized that Apple's current mobile platform creates a business model illusion for third-party developers, with too many apps making it hard for small and medium developers to attract users. The average cost per app application is 4000 dollars. "It can't even afford a decent table football table." "Hawkins said.

In fact, capital operations, represented by large game makers such as EA, are speeding up the process. In 2010, EA bought the "Angry Birds" game publisher, Chillingo, with nearly 30 million dollars, and recently the EA announced that it would buy the "Plant vs Zombies" developer Game (POPCAP) with $750 million in cash, shares and the highest 550 million dollar performance.

This may not be good news for small and medium-sized development teams. Kun said the game would not consider acquiring small and medium-sized developers in China because the ability of most small and medium-sized development teams is still limited, which is of little value in boosting their business-a sign that the "28 benefits" of mobile development are becoming increasingly apparent.

Social

The wave of social games has further elevated the threshold of development

Another sign of the App Store's threshold elevation may be the social wave of mobile gaming. A loud voice told reporters that the recent period in the European and American markets this wave is very obvious, for example, in the App Store, the U.S. version of the download list, the previous top ten of the game is a charge game, and recently almost become a free download.

In a loud voice, mobile gaming is a necessary social trend, mobile phone platform is very suitable for any time and time to interact with the characteristics of almost all large mobile game developers are in the direction of social transformation.

This wave means that the game developers need to be more and more operational, rather than develop a single game so simple.

Some of the leading game developers are starting to use the wave to bolster their strengths, such as Pocket Gems, a mobile gaming company with 30 million registered users, with several games that have long remained in the top three of North American iphone revenue, Such a huge advantage allows them to push their own products quickly through the game, and at the same time, their monthly marketing costs remain at more than 3 million dollars-the advantages of small and medium developers are difficult to reach.

At present, several of China's top app store development teams, including Shanghai Morning Sickness (triniti), Punchbox's "Catch people", Stone "World War II", Hai "Haypi Kingdom", are trying to socialize, and built-in fees.

After years of experience, the most experienced Apple development team in China is gradually establishing its own advantages with the support of capital, thus opening up the distance between small and medium entrepreneurs.

But in a loud tone, the growing threshold of the app store has dramatically reduced the chances of getting rich overnight, but as long as the development team really develops high-quality games, the platform still offers a great opportunity, "a truly good product is not advertised." He also pointed out that although large companies have better resources to develop and promote resources, but this does not equal to good products. This is probably those who are still immersed in the entrepreneurial small and medium-sized development team Heart still have no hope of the indelible.