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每日观察:关注2012全球年智能手机出货量(1.26)

发布时间:2013-01-26 10:42:36 Tags:,,

1)据Kotaku报道,THQ日前正式破产并拍卖公司的相关资产,其相关出售情况包括:

世嘉同意购买Relic团队(正在开发《Company of Heroes 2》);Koch Media同意购买Volition团队(代表作《黑道圣徒》)和《Mero》(由4A Games开发);Crytek同意(《Homefront》系列开发商)购买《Homefront》所有权;Take 2同意购买出自Turtle Rock Studios之手的《Evolve》;育碧同意购买THQ蒙特利尔工作室以及Obsidian的《South Park》。

THQ(from gamedynamo)

THQ(from gamedynamo)

预计这些出售交易将于本周结束,目前正等待美国破产法院的批准。

但并非所有的THQ员工和工作室都被拍卖,例如Vigil(《Darksiders》系列开发团队)就还没有找到买主。据知情者表示,未被拍卖工作室的员工前途堪忧,而那些仍在开发剩余项目的员工也不可避免将会失业;而已被收购团队的成员也并未安全,因为其新东家是否将保留原有职位也仍是个未知数。

THQ表示其总部仍有“小部分”员工将持续为公司效力,协助处理公司过渡事宜。

2)韩国手机游戏公司Gamevil副总裁Kyu Lee最近表示,公司有60%收益来自亚洲(但来自中国市场的收益仅占一小部分),Android收益在所有业务中占比70%。

Lee认为2012年亚洲市场的一个最大变化就是绑定本地社交移动网络的“超级休闲”手机游戏的兴起,这在韩国的最佳典型就是Kakao。该移动网络目前拥有5000万用户和2000万DAU,支持开发者绑定类似于Facebook的社交网络。

gamevil(from gamezinfo.com)

gamevil(from gamezinfo.com)

使用Kakao社交功能的游戏在韩国2012年的Google Play游戏营收榜单中表现出众,Kakao平台每月创收约3500万美元。除此之外,Kyu还指出韩国市场的另一个不同之处在于,他们通过韩国运营商应用商店创收的收益比通过Google Play创收更多。

与Kakao情况类似的是日本社交移动网络Line,其当前用户已达1亿,Kyu认为该平台2012年收益约1亿美元。而中国移动社交网络微信(WeChat)也同样潜力巨大,目前拥有3亿用户,但尚未推出类似于Kakao和Line的游戏服务。

3)IDC最新数据显示,2012年全球智能手机销量在5.452亿部,比2011年增长10.1%;第四季度智能手机出货量为2.194亿部,在所有手机出货量中占比45.5%,同比去年增长36.4%,但略低于IDC所预期的增幅(39.5%)。

Smartphones(from dlm-symposium.de)

Smartphones(from dlm-symposium.de)

三星和苹果仍是智能手机市场领头羊,而华为则超过LG跻身所有移动设备前五名的制造商行列,并超过HTC成为前五大智能手机制造商之一。

4)comScore最近数据指出,Facebook已成为2012年美国iOS和Android平台最热门的移动应用,在用户投入移动应用中的时间中占比23%,而各种谷歌应用所占的时间投入比例为10%。

facebook-mobile(from silliconangle.com)

facebook-mobile(from silliconangle.com)

5)Strategy Analytics最近报告显示,2012年全球手机出货量达16亿部,其中三星设备出货量达3.965亿部,占据25%的市场份额。

但由于欧洲和北美等成熟市场需求减缓,去年全球移动市场增幅仅为2%。

诺基亚出货量为3.356亿部(2011年为4.171亿部),市场份额为21.3%;苹果2012年手机出货量为1.358亿部,年增幅达46%;中兴出货量为7170万部。

6)Kantar Worldpanel最新数据指出,Windows Phone圣诞假期在欧洲市场表现强劲,2012年底在英国市场份额为5.9%,而诺基亚在该市场份额则是6.2%,从总体上看,诺基亚销量同比上年增长50%。

Windows Phone(from blog.mtesh)

Windows Phone(from blog.mtesh)

三星仍是英国排名第一的手机制造商,其智能手机销量占比35%,苹果占比32%。

7)据gamasutra报道,MMO游戏公司Funcom日前宣布将关闭其北京工作室,该工作室曾负责制作MMO游戏《The Secret World》(游戏邦注:为留存玩家,该游戏已在上个月放弃订阅模式)的美术和动画内容,现在这些工作将转交给位于美国北卡罗来纳州罗利市的工作室,但Funcom还表示罗利工作室的相关部门也将进行裁员。

secret_world_mmo(from levelupnews.com)

secret_world_mmo(from levelupnews.com)

Funcom计划通过这些措施进行业务重组并进军移动游戏市场,其蒙特利尔工作室已投入制作平板电脑和智能手机游戏。(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)THQ cut up and sold off

By Kris Graft

It’s truly the end of THQ, as auction bidders swooped in over the past 24 hours, chopping up the remains of the bankrupt publisher and buying up the most valuable parts.

A note to employees, obtained by Kotaku and signed by THQ CEO Brian Farrell and president Jason Rubin, stated that the company opted to try to net higher-value offers through sales of individual assets, as opposed to selling off a majority of the publisher to a single bidder (namely, Clearlake Capital Group).

That means the proposed asset sales played out as follows:

Sega agreed to purchase Relic (which is working to finish Company of Heroes 2)

Koch Media agreed to purchase Volition (Saints Row dev) and Metro (from 4A Games)

Crytek (which is working on a Homefront sequel) agreed to purchase Homefront

Take 2 agreed to purchase Evolve (from Turtle Rock Studios)

Ubisoft agreed to purchase THQ Montreal and Obsidian’s South Park

The memo said those sales are slated to close this week, pending approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Not all employees and studios were part of the sell-offs. Vigil, developer of the Darksiders series at THQ, is one studio that did not find a buyer. “If you are an employee of an entity that is not included in the sale, we regret that your position will end,” the note reads.

Staff who were working on game franchises that were left on the table are also presumably now jobless.

But even employees at acquired companies are not necessarily safe, as the memo adds: “We expect that most employees of the entities included in the sale will be offered employment by the new owners. However, we cannot say what these owners may intend, and there will likely be some positions that will not be needed under the new ownership. You should receive notice this week or early next week if the new owners intend to extend employment to you.”

Assets not acquired during the auction will still be part of THQ’s Chapter 11 case. The company said it will continue to try to find buyers for properties that were not picked up, though the window of opportunity is shrinking rapidly.

THQ added that a “small number” of headquarters staff will continue to work at THQ through January 25 to aid with the transition.

Update: Both Ubisoft and Koch Media have confirmed their respective purchases to Gamasutra.

Ubisoft added that it has acquired an unannounced new game being developed by Ubisoft Montreal. Koch says that its Deep Silver game publishing imprint will handle future entries in the Saints Row and Metro franchises.(source:gamasutra

2)MGF 2013: The Korean mobile market is booming thanks to Kakao, says Gamevil

by Jon Jordan

Finishing up the 10th Mobile Games Forum 2013 in London was Gamevil VP Kyu Lee.

Challenging the audience to take the Asia markets seriously, he spoke about the Rise of the East: The Future of Mobile Games.

“You might not have seen Gamevil in the top grossing charts. Well, you’re looking at the wrong charts. Look at Asia,” he said.

“60 percent of our revenues is now coming from Asia [although very little comes from China]. And Android revenues are 70 percent of our total business.”

Be my spam friend

The big change that happened in the Asian markets during 2012 was the rise of what Kyu called ‘super-casual’ mobile games that integrate local social mobile networks.

The prime example in Korea is Kakao.

This mobile network has 50 million users and 20 million DAUs, and has a Facebook-style plug-in which developers can integrate into their games.

This offers developers a massive audience, although it takes 30 percent of developers’ net revenue.

“It’s a bit like the situation when FarmVille launched on Facebook in terms of virality of messaging,” Kyu explained.

Games using Kakao’s social graph dominated the Google Play top grossing games in Korea in 2012. It’s thought Kakao is generating around $35 million per month.

Another difference with the Korean market is the power of the app stores of the three big carriers.

“We make more money from the Korean carrier stores than we make from Google Play,” Kyu revealed.

Everyone’s talking, playing

Similar to the situation with Kakao in Korea is Japanese social mobile network Line, which has 100 million users.

Kyu said Line was thought to be generating revenue of around $100 million in 2012.

“This is Supercell-scale performance but from individual countries,” he pointed out.

And there’s still plenty of potential in the region, both in terms of the organic growth of these companies in their local markets and their expansion.

Meanwhile Chinese mobile social network WeChat is a sleeping dragon. It has 300 million users, but hasn’t yet launched a similar games services as Kakao and Line… yet.(source:pocketgamer

3)Smartphone sales top half a billion in 2012

by Daniel Gumble

International mobile market grows 1.9 per cent year-on-year in Q4.

More than half a billion smartphones were sold across the world last year, expanding the international mobile market by 1.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Figures from IDC show that vendors shipped 219.4 million units in Q4, representing a record high of 45.5 per cent of all mobile phone shipments. However, the 36.4 per cent year-on-year growth fell slightly short of IDC’s forecast of 39.5 per cent for the quarter.

Overall, 545.2 million smartphones were shipped globally in 2012 – 10.1 per cent more than in 2011.

“The high-growth smartphone market, though dominated by Samsung and Apple, still presents ample opportunities for challengers,” said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. “Vendors with unique market advantages, such as lower-cost devices, can rapidly gain market share, especially in emerging markets. A good example is Huawei, which overtook LG as a Top 5 vendor in the overall mobile phone market and passed HTC to become a Top 5 smartphone vendor.”

“The fact that Huawei and ZTE now find themselves among the Top 5 smartphone vendors marks a significant shift for the global market,” added Ramon Llamas, research manager with IDC’s Mobile Phone team. “Both companies have grown volumes by focusing on the mass market, but in recent quarters they have turned their attention toward higher-end devices. In addition, both companies have pushed the envelope in terms of industrial design with larger displays and smaller form factors, as well as innovative applications and experiences.”(source:mobile-ent

4)Facebook was the most popular mobile app of 2012 – The Facebook mobile app receives no shortage of criticisms, especially before it became a native app, but there is no arguing its popularity. Digital business analytics service comScore found that Facebook was the most popular mobile app of 2012 in the U.S. on both iOS and Android. comScore also found that it accounts for a staggering 23 percent of the time users spend with mobile apps. Various Google apps combined account for 10 percent of time spent.(source:insidemobileapps

5)1.6 billion mobile phones shipped in 2012: Samsung ships 396.5M, Apple ships 135.8M

John Koetsier

Global phone shipments hit 1.6 billion units in 2012, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics, with Samsung shipping a massive 396.5 million phones last year.

“Fuelled by robust demand for its popular Galaxy models, Samsung was the star performer, shipping a record 396.5 million mobile phones worldwide and capturing 25 percent market share to solidify its first-place lead,” Neil Shah, a senior analyst at Strategy Analytics, said in a statement.

While 1.6 billion units is a huge number, it’s only a modest two percent growth, as demand slowed in mature markets like Europe and North America, and mobile operators made it more difficult for consumers to upgrade.

Key Samsung competitor Apple shipped 135.8 million phones worldwide last year, which translates to 46 percent annual growth. That’s a record high number for Apple, and Samsung’s 396.5 million is a record for that company as well.

Meanwhile, Nokia retained a 21.3 percent global market share, proving that while it’s down, it’s not yet out. The Finnish company shipped 335.6 million phones in 2012, down from 417.1 million in 2011.

“Nokia’s dual-SIM feature phones, Asha touchphones, and Lumia handsets have been performing well, but this was not enough to offset a slump in demand for the company’s aging Symbian smartphone platform last year,” said Neil Mawston, Strategy Analytics’ executive director.

The top four mobile phone vendors by market share are now:

1.Samsung: 396.5 million units

2.Nokia: 335.6 million units

3.Apple: 135.8 million units

4.ZTE: 71.7 million units(source:venturebeat

6)Windows Phone enjoys strong Christmas in Europe as UK share triples

by Keith Andrew

Just as Nokia reveals it’s back in profit, the platform it chose to throw its weight behind more than a year ago now is finally gaining momentum in key territories.

Figures published by Kantar Worldpanel suggest Windows Phone enjoyed a strong Christmas in Europe, with its share in the UK almost tripling year on year.

In Italy, the news was even better, with Microsoft’s share jumping by almost five times during the last year.

Up and down

The platform still has ground to make up, however. Kantar Worldpanel pegs Windows Phone’s UK share at 5.9 percent at the end of 2012, with Nokia “experiencing a turnaround” in the region with a 6.2 percent share all of its own.

In all, Nokia sales were up 50 percent year on year.

“Among the handset manufacturers, Samsung has held onto the number one spot in Britain, claiming 35 percent of smartphone sales, although Apple is now biting at its heels with 32 percent,” said global consumer insight director Dominic Sunnebo.

“Meanwhile, BlackBerry continues to find trading tough in the run up to the BlackBerry 10 release; however, its 9320 handset gave it a boost over Christmas with two-thirds bought as a gifts.”

A new challenger appears

All eyes will be on BlackBerry 10′s imminent launch, with RIM CEO Thorsten Heins having recently suggested the firm could consider selling off its hardware business or licensing out its software post launch.

As such, Kantar Worldpanel’s assessment suggests the two way tussle between Android and iOS remains the dominant contest, but there are signs 2013 could be the year when other players begin to have a say.

“It has been far slower than Microsoft would have liked, but Windows Phone is now starting to gain respectable shares in a number of key European countries,” added Sunnebo.

“However, its performance in the Chinese and US markets remains underwhelming. As the two largest smartphone markets in the world, these remain key challenges for Microsoft to overcome during 2013.”(source:pocketgamer

7)Funcom closing its Secret World Beijing studio

By Mike Rose

Funcom’s restructuring efforts continue onwards this week, as the MMO company announced that it is closing down its Beijing studio following the completion of The Secret World.

The company’s Beijing studio handled the art and animation for the struggling MMO, which dropped its subscription model last month in a bid to secure more players.

Funcom’s Raleigh, North Carolina-based outfit will now be in charge of producing and delivering visual assets for any upcoming updates to The Secret World, as well as updates for Age of Conan and Anarchy Online.

However, Funcom says that there has been a staff reduction at its Raleigh studio in certain departments, as part of this restructuring.

Meanwhile, the company’s Montreal studio is working on unannounced tablet and smartphone games, as Funcom looks to enter the mobile games sector.(source:gamasutra


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