The change of the game industry seating: Legend no longer grand healing

The coming will come eventually.

Last two years to maintain the game industry seating again change. A few days ago, the grand game released in the fourth quarter of 2012 reported that Shanda game net operating income of 172 million U.S. dollars, not to swim in the same period of revenue 173.5 million U.S. dollars. Starting from 2012, the industry predicted that sooner or later the variables will come: Grand game first fell out of the first camp online, ranked fourth.

This fall is not the worst for grand games. From 2012 full year income, Shanda games to 745 million U.S. dollars is still higher than the 623.4 million U.S. dollar tour. Swimming and Shanda in the short term will not open the gap, but 2013 will undoubtedly be the two fierce competition for the year.

Overwork

With the operation of "legend" boarded the throne of the industry boss, the grand legend has not continued.

September 2009, Shanda games listed on the Nasdaq, financing more than 1.04 billion U.S. dollars. After the listing of the grand, but not a few days of easy days. In the second quarter of 2009, Tencent surpassed the second. In the second quarter of 2010, NetEase surpassed the grand again, and the grand fell to third. The formation of the first camp remained until 2012, and the crisis of deformation began.

In the second quarter of 2012, the Grand games, which continued to give blood to the Grand group, began to show signs of exhaustion, when Shanda's privatisation was underway and demand for funds became more urgent. Net operating income in the second quarter of 2012 was $179 million, down 14.4% from a year earlier, down 18.6% from the previous quarter, according to the results. At the same time, the swim is in the growth rate, the two revenue gap to about 32 million dollars. Analysys International analyst Shi Yong at that time that analysis pointed out that this kind of condition continues, swims surpasses the grand to become third, is at present. In the third quarter of 2012, Shanda played a net revenue of $170 million in the third quarter and a 166 million dollar cruise, narrowing the gap to $4 million.

In the industry's view, the fall of Shanda is somewhat doomed. "Legends" of aging has been repeatedly mentioned the soft rib, "legend" series Outside, the "Dragon Valley", which forms the iron triangle of the grand revenue, has also suffered a double decline in both the number of users and the size of their income, and Shi Yong points out that, from earnings figures, paid users only grew by 1%, "indicating that the growth of new users is very limited, which is not optimistic about the ”

"The only thing I can think of is legend." "Veteran player Review, 2003, Shanda once joined China Telecom to promote" legendary World ", launched the elite games, launched the jackpot is an Audi A6. At that time the grand high-spirited, then propaganda slogan is "handed down activities, stretching thousands of miles." Wonderful Sky, the wind and cloud. Now in retrospect, the wind and cloud after the first, grand no longer the original pride and domineering.

"Healing" on the surface

For incumbent CEO Zhang, there still seems to be hope in the undertow.

According to the "China Business newspaper" reporter learned that the release of the afternoon, Zhang to internal staff sent an open letter "cheer". In particular, the letter highlighted the expansion of overseas markets and the deployment of the 2013, which analysed the bright spot outside the slide, "overseas earnings in the quarter grew by 61.3% per cent over the last quarter, largely thanks to the excellent performance of Dragon Valley overseas and the mobile gaming" million King Arthur "in South Korea. "The rift in time and space will begin to be tested in March," the report said. Games and films such as "The Eternal Tower 4.0", "0 World", "Panlong", "Final Fantasy 14" and "The light of the city" are also planned. "I hope the above game can help the company to further stabilize the large game user groups." "Zhang said.

It is understood that the main adjustment after Zhang's successor is focused on three areas: sticking to the core advantages of MMO (Massively multiplayer online games), emphasizing the introduction of high-quality MMO, in addition to moving games and overseas markets to the strategic level. In the Grand Insider view, Zhang is after Tan left, few can provoke the beam of the "Old Man", "long-term as the blood legend" and "legendary World" core managers.

Zhang is a product manager, more emphasis on user experience, after the stage has been the internal emphasis on the initiative to reduce the degree of commercialization and enhance user activity. 2012 Zhang successor after the first time to accept this reporter interview once to Grand opened a prescription, the expression will still adhere to the tan during the 3A strategy (All Stars, all platforms, the whole region), "used to be a circle, now have a clear goal." "When it comes to the ageing of legends, he does not hide the" great desire to innovate ", and in order to stimulate innovation, the internal strengthening of the studio mechanism. The producer will have greater power of decision, including whether the product is introduced or approved, and has the right to vote; The producer's internal assessment Incentive system has also changed, costing into the studio, and directly linked to income, producers participate in the share of income. ”

But in Shi Yong's view, "The grand operation ability, research and development is always weak", this situation and the original "legendary" money too fast enough to pay attention to research and development is not unrelated. In the Donews website CEO Wang, the grand strategy is not worth worrying about, but the long-term driving ability of the grand game is still "legend" and other old games, new products, especially the higher profit margin of the self research product has not been particularly successful. "Without good products, all strategies are greatly compromised." ”

"A short period of grand and swimming will not open the gap, the biggest may be the two alternate forward, a large variable will be concentrated in the tour of the Seventh Avenue and the Grand 2013 main push of the" space-time rift "performance. "Shi Yong thinks. On the other hand, in the face of performance pressure, Zhang will also face the stability of the team. According to Shanda confirmed, "0 world" producer Chen recently for personal reasons, has resigned the producer position. But Shanda said Feng's departure does not affect the progress of the 0 world, which will open for the first time in the end of the first quarter of this year. And according to reporters understand that at this time, "0 World" project has been the past 6 years, during the tan had poured a lot of painstaking efforts, was passed to cut.

In Chen flyover that year's entertainment empire dream, long-term output of the grand game finally to take into account their own point. Perhaps grand more need to stop to need to calmly think about, "legend" after the grand next legend will be who?