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游戏产业未来的状态:一切都发生了改变

发布时间:2015-08-18 10:38:51 Tags:,,,,

作者:Kirstin Whittle

在过去几年里游戏产业中出现了根本性的转变。这看似是依赖于不断的技术创新与再创造的的显著的产业状态,但其实它已经超越了游戏本身。早前的零售模式(游戏邦注:即将游戏置于盒子中并将其递交给商店出售)已经转变成所有内容都相互协作的世界。

illustration(from develop-online)

illustration(from develop-online)

齐心协力

最重要的一大改变便是最近的服务变成了一个相对连续的过程,即设计,开发,QA,本土化,售后支持开始相互重叠并融合,并且当到达某个点时所有的一切需要作为整体而运行。

QA曾经是一种发行前服务,而现在它却成为贯穿游戏(即当全新DLC和更新内容被开发并发行时)的一大基本要求。

这不仅是关于对全新内容的独立测试,同时还包括审查新内容与其余现有内容的兼容性,并确保它们在实际条件下也能够运行。同时这也适用于本土化与支持,大多数倍受欢迎的游戏以及许多独立游戏都在某种程度上使用了这样的服务。外包服务已经变成了24/7的过程。

这种转变也在推动着内容创造者与外包商之间的关系转变以及双方执行业务的心态的转变。全新环境以及我们产品的全球影响力都意味着外包供应商需要成为开发者和发行商真正的合作伙伴,而不只是作为供应商。聪明的外包商总是会通过灵活且具有创造性的方法为客户创造更多价值。

例如QA和实际的游戏运营的本质便是为综合解决方法(整合这些服务并实现一致,且容易控制的资源管理与支持)创造机遇。包括本土化,全局测试以及社区管理等所有内容都能更加紧密地整合在一起。

现在我们的产业已经真正变成一个全球产业—-任何人都可以面向全球市场发行内容,因为如今的分销不需要再依赖于其它地区的实体公司了。

玩家支持

对于游戏产业,这意味着我们与用户间的关系变得越来越直接,并且我们需要更快地回应他们。因为直接的消费者交流是许多开发者和发行商的外部核心竞争力,而与擅于社区管理和玩家支持的外包商建立良好的关系则能够帮助双方更好地专注于自己所擅长的事。

毋庸置疑的一点是:这个产业不会再回到早前的开发和发行模式。玩家行为和期待的改变是与技术的持续发展和灵活的全球生产支持服务相辅相成的,并因此诞生出了更具出色的游戏。对于充满远见的发行商,开发者和外包商来说,前方还会出现许多全新机遇,而成为这一改变的领头军是非常让人兴奋的一件事。

本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转发,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

The future state: Everything has changed

By Kirstin Whittle

A fundamental shift has occurred in the games industry over the past few years. This may seem like an obvious statement in an industry that thrives on continual technological innovation and re-invention, but it goes far beyond the games themselves. The old retail model – put your game in a box and ship it to the stores – has transformed into a world where everything is live all the time.

Working as one

One of the most significant changes is how services that were until recently a relatively sequential process – design, then development, then QA, then localisation, then post-launch customer support – have begun to overlap and bleed together, to the point where everything now needs to work as one.

Where QA was once a pre-launch service, it is now an essential requirement throughout the life of the game as new DLC and updates are routinely developed and released.

It goes beyond isolated tests on new content to include verifying compatibility with all existing content and making sure it all works together in real-world conditions. This is also true of localisation and support. Most high-profile games, and even many true indie titles, have some level of these services happening all the time. Outsourced services have really become 24/7 processes.

This shift is driving a change in the relationships between content creators and outsourcers, and a change in the mindset of how both do business. The new always-on environment and the global reach of our products means outsourcing providers need to be true partners with developers and publishers, not simply vendors.
Smart outsourcers are bringing more value to their clients through flexible, innovative solutions.

For example, the cyclical nature of QA and live game operations – as the need for one rises, need for the other recedes – is creating opportunities for hybrid solutions that integrate these services and allow a consistent, manageable level of resources and support. Everything from localisation to global beta testing and community management is increasingly more tightly integrated.

We are truly a global industry now – anyone can publish globally because distribution is no longer reliant on companies with physical presence in other regions.

Player support

For the games industry, that means increasingly direct relationships with our customers and the need to be responsive to them. Because direct customer communication is outside the core competency of many developers and publishers, a strong partnership with an outsourcer that specialises in community engagement and player support enables each partner to focus on what they do best.

One thing is certain: the industry is not going back to the old model of development and publishing. Changes in player behaviour and expectations, twinned with the continuing advancements in technology and the increased capability of flexible global production support services, have resulted in better games. There are so many new opportunities for forward-looking publishers, developers, and outsourcing partners, and it’s exciting to be on the leading edge of all this change.(source:develop-online)

 


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