Overseas game "two years to withdraw" magic spell difficult to crack, foreign investment decision-making experience judgment mistakes

In the view of overseas game companies, China is a market with great potential, but it backfired, most companies are difficult to escape the "two-year withdrawal" spell. Companies such as Sega, a veteran gaming company in Japan, and Gree, a social-game giant, have withdrawn from the Chinese market in less than two years, while firms such as Zynga, Konami and EA have also laid off or disbanded in China. So, what is the reason for overseas game companies to come to China, and why do they frequently fall into the trap of two years in China?

"Two years to go" spell hard to crack

Data show that the number of users in the 2014 game market in China reached about 517 million, a 4.6% increase from 2013. The game market's actual sales revenue reached 114.48 billion yuan, up 37.7% from 2013, the huge number of Chinese players and the ability to spend is the main reason to attract overseas games to enter the Chinese market.

However, the Beijing commercial news reporter through the inspection of public data found that, whether the overseas industry giants, or emerging hot companies, after entering China, often less than two years will be sadly withdrawn from the domestic market.

zynga,2014, the social-gaming leader who launched the games such as "Texas Poker" and "Treasure Island", has lost nearly 226 million dollars a year, and Zynga chief executive Tang Madrick, after confirming the news that Zynga China has closed, also said its Chinese products include the end of the four quarter Farmvillage's market performance failed to meet the company's expectations and closed its China branch, a move that would help the company save 7 million of dollars a year.

In addition to the U.S. gaming companies, Japanese gaming companies in the Chinese market, there is no sustained in the local glory. Sega, a veteran gaming company in Japan, formally established its Beijing branch in 2005, and after trying to transform from a portal into a product development strategy, it did not change the fate of the 2007 full launch of the Chinese online games operation. Another Japanese social-networking gaming company, Gree, has not been able to escape the "two-year retreat" spell under the strong competition in China's hand-swim market.

Error in judging the experience of foreign investment decision-makers

What is the reason for the direct result of overseas gaming companies entering the Chinese market, instead of the whole company operating problems, have to abandon the car to protect handsome, withdraw from the Chinese market?

Most of the responsibility lies with the system and management. Industry insiders pointed out that to hand tour for example, the Chinese game company's strategy is a wide net, that is, the formation of a number of teams, to carry out a number of projects, research and development time is short, quick results, as long as one of the games can get a good market response, then the game company is But the overseas game company is not, in the big company layer Shong prepares the system, many games only has spent nearly half a year time, a common plan after proposed the game idea, needs to undergo the layer examination, but also through the overseas data evaluation and the headquarters approval side can make the trip. At this time of domestic, half a year, a not too successful game can already recover costs.

Most of the overseas game company's headquarters do not give China how much decision-making power, the development of ideas and ideas is wrong, and even do not understand the market or even do not understand the business executives. There have been industry insiders pointed out that the Konami of Japanese management generally do not understand the Chinese market play, especially subjectively think Konami is a strong brand, that "The Emperor's daughter not worried to marry." And the overseas game company's internal position is too detailed, the company's communication chain is too complicated, coupled with lengthy internal processes, many of the inflexible impact of research and development efficiency. Domestic team with 10 people, 3 months or so can do the demo, but for overseas game companies, it will take 3-4 times the time and manpower.

Overseas transplant content is not localized

As with countless other companies, the reasons for the failure of acclimatized is a lot of overseas games in China, the fundamental problems encountered. In the realm of game CEO Zhu Jia Liang, product differentiation is the key to the acclimatized, the difference between the east and the West led to the habits of game users in the nature of the difference. The successful transfer of overseas games to the Chinese operation, from the play, themes, culture and so on, can not adapt to the Chinese market.

Chinese game market is more special, Zhu Jia Liang Introduction, Chinese and foreign games at the core of different game, China's game users from the end of the tour, the page to develop the group, like social network games, they try to meet social needs in the network, more to plug or operate a simple form as a supplement in real life can not meet the needs, status, vent, etc. , pursuing a sense of self relaxation and fulfillment. And the United States, Japan's game users mostly simply play the game, they enjoy the game itself, the pursuit of the core play to explore the game stimulation, not derivatives.

From the game product view, the overseas player and the Chinese player's preference is also different. In particular, the Japanese game company, in addition to the "Pirates of the King", "Seven Dragon Bead" and other anime adaptation of the game is also well-known and recognized in China, the Chinese players on most of the other Japanese game IP are not familiar with, nor willing to try.

In addition to "tribal conflict" and other world Classic games, other localized overseas games in China are all bad. In Zhu Jia Liang's view, "Japan's local games relatively small, Japanese players from playing the palm machine, home machines and other games, accept the type of game is more extensive, preference for the extension of Home machine game category, the list of games more to question and answer class, pinball, such as game-era games mainly; "Full assault", "World of Warcraft" and other end of the extension of the tour. This is like "youth" in the memory of the Chinese university campus life, not Japan and the United States, they do not have empathy.