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每日观察:关注日本IP和卡牌社交游戏市场(1.30)

1)东京市场调研公司looops最近的网络电视节目指出,基于IP(游戏邦注:包括动漫、电视剧等媒体的IP)以及卡牌类型的社交游戏在日本人气最旺。

2011年12月至2012年1月份,在日本社交平台GREE前20名热门游戏中(如下图左),基于IP的游戏占据7个席位;而在社交平台Mobage前20名中(如下图右),同类游戏占据了8个席位。

social-games-japan-ip-based(from looops)

social-games-japan-ip-based(from looops)

而卡牌类社交游戏的这一趋势更甚,在GREE前20名中占据14个席位(该平台前5名均为卡牌社交游戏),在Mobage前20名也占据半壁江山。

social-games-japan-card-games(from looops)

social-games-japan-card-games(from looops)

2)Google+现已支持用户使用昵称登录平台,但用户注册时仍需采用实名制,但系统会同时显示用户的昵称。

3)据Penn Olson报道,日本手机社交游戏公司DeNA最近与日本社交网站Mixi合作,在后者平台上开办在线购物中心,将于今年3月正式推出虚拟商城合作项目。

4)据Siliconera报道,Konami将向日本市场发布一款基于《星球大战》的社交游戏《Star Wars Collection》,这款卡牌游戏将采用《星球大战》场景,并根据原版电影改编故事情节,将于下月在GREE的功能性手机与Android手机平台发布,计划在三月份推出iOS版本。

Star Wars(from serkantoto)

Star Wars(from serkantoto)

但观察者认为,《星球大战》或许并不适合日本市场,可能无法产生基于《海贼王》社交游戏《 One Piece Grand Collection》(游戏邦注:该游戏上线4天收获100万用户)的那种影响力,它也不会是Konami的下一款《Dragon Collection》这种巨作。

5)据Serkantoto报道,为推广已问世一年半、拥有500万GREE注册用户的社交游戏《Dragon Collection》,Konami于2012春节期间在东京在地铁站、公交车、大型商场等场所举办大规模的龙年活动,并邀请三名少年偶像助阵,以期让游戏获取新用户,保持用户粘性。

dragon-collection-konami-gree (from serkantoto)

dragon-collection-konami-gree (from serkantoto)

dragon-collection-konami-gree(from serkantoto)

dragon-collection-konami-gree(from serkantoto)

dragon-collection-konami-gree(from serkantoto)

dragon-collection-konami-gree(from serkantoto)

6)THQ最近宣布将退出儿童授权游戏市场,在扩展数字业务的同时,集中关注“硬核”游戏产品(THQ向Facebook和iPad发布的跨平台游戏《Margaritaville Online》目前在Facebook的DAU为4万,MAU为8万)。

spongebob crying(from pimpmyspace.org)

spongebob crying(from pimpmyspace.org)

THQ之前的著名儿童授权品牌包括海绵宝宝、皮卡斯的《赛车总动员》等,该公司现在将主攻《黑道圣徒》和《战锤40K》等类型的游戏,并将出售部分已发布的游戏作品,但并未透露是否将进行裁员。

就在THQ宣布这一消息的当天,有一名THQ前员工向该公司董事会发函指责高管制定的错误决策导致了员工下岗、工作室关闭、股价下跌、超额支付授权费用等后果。(本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转载,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

1)Overview: How Dominant Are IP-Based And Card Battle Games In Japan? [Social Games]

by Dr. Serkan Toto

Tokyo-based market research company looops is running a regular web TV show that focuses on different topics of Japan’s web industry each time. The show yesterday was about “the future of social games” in Japan and elsewhere.

During the show, looops employee Kensuke Komura pulled up two slides to highlight which genres currently dominate the social gaming market in Japan: titles that are based on IP (manga, anime, TV shows, etc.) and social card battle games.

I am sorry for the blurry screenshots, but the following slide at least shows how many IP-based games can be found in GREE‘s top 20 ranking (on the left) and Mobage (on the right) in “heat map” style.

You can see that 7 of the GREE top 20, and 8 of the Mobage top 20 were using existing IP at the end of December/beginning of January:

The situation is even more radical in terms of social card battle games like Konami’s Dragon Collection or GREE’s insanely popular doliland.

14 of GREE’s top 20, and 10 of Mobage’s top 20 were social card battle games at the end of November/beginning of December last year. On GREE’s side, the first five titles are all social card battle games.(source:serkantoto

2)Google+ now allowing nicknames and online handles – Google+ has added support for alternate nicknames to its service. While it will still require users to register their real names, alternate names will now appear alongside a user’s name.(source:insidesocialgames

3)DeNA partnering with Mixi to open virtual shopping mall – Mobile social games company DeNA has signed a partnership with Japanese social network Mixi to open an online shopping mall on the Mixi platform. Penn Olson is reporting the virtual mall will open in late march.(source:insidesocialgames

4)Konami Announces Star Wars Social Game On GREE [Social Games]

by Dr. Serkan Toto

Another IP-based social game in Japan, this time from Konami. The company announced the launch of Star Wars Collection, a social game based on the movie service, for GREE.

Star Wars is obviously one of the biggest franchises out there, even though I doubt it will have the same effect in Japan that the One Piece manga-based social game had on Mobage. In other words, there is no way this will become another Dragon Collection.

Konami explains:

“STAR WARS COLLECTION” is a card game that will have players collecting a rich assortment of characters and vehicles, undertaking missions as they travel from planet to planet throughout the Star Wars universe. The game seamlessly captures the signature Star Wars atmosphere as portrayed in the six films, and will feature Darth Vader, Yoda, R2-D2, and many more characters from the series via stunning photos. There are also plans to feature periodic events based on the original films’ storylines.

Pre-registration has started yesterday. The game will be available on GREE for feature phones and Android handsets next month. An iOS version is scheduled to follow in March.(source:serkantoto

5)For Dragon Collection: Konami Starts Marketing Campaign In Tokyo [Social Games]

by Dr. Serkan Toto

What do you do when you have a mobile social game that’s 1.5 years old, already has 5 million+ registered users on GREE and that may near the end of its life cycle soon? If you are Konami and have a super hit like Dragon Collection in your portfolio, you start promoting the game to acquire new users and boost engagement in existing ones.

The company is clever in making use of the fact that 2012 is the Year Of The Dragon under the Chinese Zodiac (the last one was over 10 years ago) and kicked off its very own “Dragon Year” to push the game.

Apart from using commercials for Dragon Collection on Japanese TV, Konami started to promote the social game in Tokyo last week, using cheaper methods.(source:serkantoto

6)THQ exits kids’ licensed game business

by Kris Graft

THQ said on Wednesday that it is exiting the kids’ licensed games business, and going forward will focus on “core” gamer titles while expanding its digital business.

It’s a big change from a few years ago, when THQ had a solid business based on making kids’ licensed games, based on properties such as Spongebob and Pixar’s Cars. Now the focus will be on franchises such as Saints Row and Warhammer 40,000.

The publisher said it is “in the process of exiting its relationships with kids’ licensed entertainment companies but will continue to sell certain previously released titles.” The company did not state if any THQ jobs would be affected.

THQ CEO Brian Farrell said in a statement, “THQ will be a more streamlined organization focused only on our strongest franchises. The success of Saints Row: The Third is an example of what our revised strategy and focus can achieve.”

Farrell said THQ has shipped 3.8 million units of Volition-developed Saints Row: The Third, and is expecting lifetime shipments between 5-6 million units. He said digital add-ons for the game “have resulted in the highest digital revenue of any console title in our history.”

The news of THQ’s realignment comes as the publisher launches its Facebook and iPad social game, Margaritaville, on which musician Jimmy Buffet consulted.

THQ said its five internal studios are working on the upcoming UFC Undisputed 3 and Darksiders II, as well as Company of Heroes, inSANE, Saints Row, Warhammer 40,000, a new game from Ubisoft’s former Assassin’s Creed creative director, Patrice Desilets.

The announcement also arrives on the same day an alleged former THQ employee sent a distressing letter to the company’s board of directors blaming top executives for making a series of poor decisions that led to layoffs, studio closures, millions spent overpaying for licenses, its share price plummeting, and uDraw’s “implosion.”

Claiming to represent the interests for other current and former THQ employees, the message (which was sent to a member of gaming community NeoGAF, where it was posted online), condemns those executives for their “chronic and constant mismanagement of their company,” and calls on the board to oust Farrell and other THQ heads. (source:gamasutra


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