开发者谈跨平台游戏趋势是否对用户具有重要影响

原作者：Matthew Handrahan 译者：Willow Wu

对于玩家来说，游戏是否跨平台可能没有业内人士所想的那么重要。GameTrack 2017年第四季度调查结果显示，消费者普遍对这一趋势漠不关心。

在过去一年中，PlayStation、Xbox和PC用户能够一起玩游戏一直是新闻中经常出现的话题。微软已经把主机-PC跨平台游戏列入他们的核心战略，而索尼则因为明显抵触PlayStation-Xbox跨平台而遭受多方批评。

GameTrack在去年第四季度对来自英国、法国、德国和西班牙的玩家进行调查，询问他们对于游戏跨平台特性的看法。然而有58%的人表示他们对这一趋势不感兴趣，看来跨平台还没有得到足够的关注与重视。

值得注意的是只有8%的人对游戏行业大力推进跨平台、移除游戏平台之间的屏障表示“非常不看好”，有34%的人则表示非常看好。但是，过半的人还是表示不在乎。

在游戏行业内，这本身就是个具有争议的话题，但是这个调查结果确实令人意外。《我的世界》《火箭联盟》《方舟：生存进化》和《堡垒之夜》等游戏都是去年讨论跨平台游戏的焦点，通常是因为索尼没有兴趣让他们的用户和Xbox玩家进行联机。

GameTrack的调查显示玩家并不认为跨平台特性是他们选购游戏主机的重要原因之一。当问到这个功能的出现会不会让玩家去买之前不会买的游戏主机时，54%的欧洲玩家表示“可能不会”或“绝对不会”，在这其中有38%的玩家是“绝对不会”。相比之下，只有13%的人表示会。

类似地，有56%的玩家不认为跨平台功能会促使他们去订阅相关的主机/PC线上服务，只有13%的人认为他们会。

软件方面的调查结果也大体一样：48%的受访玩家表示他们不会因为跨平台而去买之前他们不会买的游戏，17%则表示会。49%的玩家表示这个功能不会增加他们玩网游的欲望，17%表示会。

微软Xbox部门总负责人Phil Spencer曾公开表示，他希望Xbox和PlayStation社区能够实现统一。他还多次就索尼公司的对抗情绪发表公开评论。

他去年说：“我知道有现实中有这样一种情况：如果我的朋友们买的游戏主机跟我不一样，那么大家就没办法一起玩了。这就是其他人选择购买我用的游戏主机的原因，而且它在未来也依然还是消费者选购的理由之一。所以我们把玩家规模最大的游戏之一《我的世界》加入跨平台计划，无论玩家使用的是哪种设备，他们都可以一起玩。

persona-4-rise-2(from gamingpoint)

“我不认为每个人对这个生态系统都会采取同样的做法，所以我不会断定某个事情是注定要失败的，但我认为一些基本的缘由和特定情景，它们会一直存在。我也无法预言以后到底会发生哪些变化。”

无论跨平台功能是否会影响消费者的购买决定，业内人士都认为不同平台之间的壁垒很快就会消失。在今年的GDC大会上，Epic公司创始人Tim Sweeney跟GamesIndustry.biz谈到了《堡垒之夜》前所未有的跨平台性能，PC、主机、移动用户可以一起战斗了。

但是Xbox和PlayStation平台目前还无法实现，Sweeney斩钉截铁地表示这只是时间问题。

他说:“我认为移除平台之间的屏障是大势所趋。游戏和Facebook、Twitter一样都是带有社交性质的产品，但如果玩家连最基本的联系朋友都做不到，社交体验也就没有意义了。

“对于索尼和微软来说，想为客户提供更好的服务就必须对他们（真实世界）的朋友实现完全开放，不然的话他们就是在分裂这些社交团体。这就好比是学校中平日里总是玩在一起的孩子们。你希望看到他们因为平台问题而不得不分成两组，无法在一起玩吗？肯定不会的，现在我们就是要解决这个事。

“剩下的这一堵墙必然也会被拆掉。”

本文由游戏邦编译，转载请注明来源，或咨询微信zhengjintiao

Cross-platform play may not be as important to gamers as many in the industry believe, with the results from GameTrack’s Q4 2017 survey showing a general indifference to the trend among consumers.

The value of PlayStation, Xbox and PC owners being able to play together has been a regular feature in the news over the last 12 months. Microsoft has made cross-platform play between console and PC a core feature of its first-party strategy, while Sony has been widely criticised for its apparent reluctance to allow cross-platform functionality between PlayStation and Xbox.

However, in a GameTrack survey that spanned gamers in the UK, France, Germany and Spain in Q4 of last year, a question presented by GamesIndustry.biz revealed a lack of belief in the value of gamers playing together across platforms: when asked about their feelings on cross-platform play in general, 58% of respondents admitted to being “Indifferent” to the trend.

It’s worth noting that only 8% felt either “Fairly Negative” or “Very Negative” about the industry’s current push towards tearing downs the barriers around gaming platforms, and a total of 34% saw it as Fairly or Very Positive thing overall. But, ultimately, the largest number of respondents weren’t moved in either direction.

This is a surprising outcome for what has proved to be a divisive issue within the industry. Minecraft, Rocket League, Ark: Survival Evolved and Fortnite, among others, have all been the focus of debate around cross-platform play at some point in the last year, often due to Sony’s clear lack of interest in allowing its customers to play with Xbox owners.

The GameTrack Q4 survey shows that cross-platform play is not an important factor in how gamers think about purchasing consoles, though. When presented with the idea that it would make them more likely to buy a console they might not otherwise, 54% of respondents in Europe either Slightly or Strongly disagreed, with 38% disagreeing Strongly. That’s compared to just 13% who agreed with the statement.

Similarly, 56% disagreed to some extent that cross-platform play would make them more likely to subscribe to a console or computer’s online service – compared to 13% who agreed.

The same trend was evident in statements about software: 48% of respondents disagreed that cross-platform play would be an incentive to buy a game they otherwise might not, versus 17% who agreed; and 49% of respondents disagreed that cross-platform functionality would make them more likely to play online than they currently do, compared to 17% who agreed.

Microsoft’s Phil Spencer has been open about his desire to unite the disparate communities on Xbox and PlayStation, and has publicly commented on Sony’s reluctance to agree – both directly and indirectly – on several occasions.

“I know there is a certain view that says if my friends have this console, they can’t play with people who buy another console. That’s a reason they go buy my console,” he said last year. “That reason is not going to go away. So we’re putting Minecraft out there as one of the biggest games on any platform and allowing people to play together regardless of what device they bought.

“I don’t think everybody is taking that same approach to the ecosystem. So I’m never going to call anything a lost cause, but I think some of the fundamental reasons and certain scenarios, they’re not really going away. So I don’t know what would change.”

Whether cross-platform play has the potential to influence purchasing decisions among consumers or not, there is a view within the industry that dissolution of the barriers between platforms will happen soon. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz at GDC this year, Epic’s Tim Sweeney talked about the unprecedented levels of cross-platform integration in Fortnite – which allows people to play the same game on console, PC and mobile.

The only platforms that don’t allow it are Xbox and PlayStation, but Sweeney was unequivocal in his belief that it is only a matter of time before they seek and establish common ground.

“I think it’s inevitable now,” he says. “Games have become social experiences in the same way that Facebook or Twitter have, and these experiences only really make sense if gamers can communicate with all of their friends.

“For Sony and Microsoft to support their customers well they have to be open to all their customers’ friends – their real world friends – otherwise they’re breaking up real-world social groups. Like kids in school have their friends, and do you expect this platform schism to divide them into two separate groups that can’t play together? No. It’s got to come together now.

“That one remaining barrier will inevitably come down.”(source: gameindustry.biz )