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行业人士谈2021年推动社交手游发展的五个趋势

发布时间:2021-03-05 08:29:27 Tags:,

行业人士谈2021年推动社交手游发展的五个趋势

原作者:Oren Todoros 译者:Willow Wu

(本文作者是Comunix公司的内容营销负责人)

现如今,玩手游的人比以往任何时候多,他们会在空闲时间里借助手游进行社交互动、获得有趣的游戏体验。

我们不可否认COVID-19疫情是加速社交手游增长的主要催化剂。

Newzoo的最新数据显示2020年全球游戏行业规模达到了1750亿美元,比年初的预计多了20%。

不管我们在2021年是否会看到类似规模的增长,可以明显看出的是,某些长期的趋势将会加速这种变革。

1.千禧世代 vs. Z世代

手游行业持续在扩张,千禧世代(通常指的是那些出生于1981~1996的人)是目前的主力军。

有趣的是,AdColony最近的一份研究报告显示,千禧世代中有40%的人认为自己是手游玩家,而更年轻的Z世代中只有33%,所以弄清楚这两个相似群体之间的喜好差别是非常重要的。

Joel and Ellie(from gamasutra)

Joel and Ellie(from gamasutra)

2.新技术,新游戏

新技术将会继续推动革新,将玩法和社交互动更好地结合在一起。

从游戏开发方面来说,主流的游戏引擎比如Unity和Unreal将会继续提升他们产品,授权更多开发者创造更具沉浸感的游戏。

但是游戏行业不只有游戏引擎。像xCloud和谷歌Stadia这样的平台将会通过一种全新的方式模糊游戏和线上娱乐之间的界限。

3.不玩,只是看

游戏已经成为一种主流的观赏性运动。

据Neilson的报告显示,71%的千禧玩家会在YouTube、Twitch上观看游戏视频,而网络直播技术公司Limelight认为大多数18~25岁的年轻人更愿意观看游戏解说,而不是传统体育节目。

“当观众增长超过玩家增长时,这会彻底颠覆商业模式,”Treasure Data的市场总监Erik Archer Smith说。

“开发者的游戏设计方式也会完全改变,在制作游戏时你要考虑的不仅是玩家,还有观众。”

4.手游成为社交工具

像Among Us、《堡垒之夜》这样的产品把游戏行业引入了一个新的时代——人们在游戏里展开社交活动。

据Entertainment Software Association的统计,在经常玩游戏的人群中,大概有56%的人会玩多人游戏,有55%的人表示游戏能够帮他们和朋友保持联系。

自2020年3月以来,游戏社交平台Bunch的月活跃用户数量增长了50倍,达到了百万里程碑。

这种真人之间的社交互动就是我们Comunix所专注的,我们的游戏Pokerface是第一款可以视频群聊的德州扑克游戏,它让世界各地的用户体验到与朋友一起玩游戏、结交新朋友的乐趣。

自发行以来,Pokerface在iOS和安卓平台获得了迅速增长,玩家们的聊天视频时长累计已经超过了20亿分钟,单日游戏平均时长是42分钟。

从本质上来说,Pokerface带回了传统的“游戏之夜”活动,即使你所在的城市处于封锁状态,也还是能享受到游戏的乐趣。

5.智能可玩广告

据AppsFlyer的统计,2020年移动应用营销商在拉动安装量上投入了750亿美元,比前一年上涨了30%。考虑到很多国家还在经历疫情和封锁带来的冲击,这种上升趋势肯定还会继续延续下去,至少2021的上半年会是如此。

越来越多人选择用可玩广告来做营销,这主要是因为它们能让消费者在不用下载游戏的情况下简单试玩。近期的一项调查显示46%的游戏开发者认为沉浸式的游戏内广告能带来重要的盈利机会。

2021年,我们将会看到更多游戏开发者使用这种独特的广告,还有其它新式的沉浸式互动广告(比如Snap和Unity合作的AR广告)来吸引更多玩家。

未来会是怎样的?

虽然无法预测未来,但你仍然可以为可能发生的情况做好准备。

过去几个月的经历已经告诉了我们手游行业的增长势头很有可能会继续保持下去。聊天、好友邀请、视频聊天、多人竞技玩法等主要的游戏社交特色会促使更多人接触手游,让它们获得更多的市场份额。

现在有个值得思考的问题是,随着世界各地疫苗接种工作的缓慢展开,玩家的行为会发生哪些变化?

我相信这对于2021年的手游行业来说是一个非常重要的转折点。

本文由游戏邦编译,转载请注明来源,或咨询微信zhengjintiao

Oren Todoros is the head of content marketing at Comunix.

More people are playing mobile games today than ever before, seeking social interactions and fun ways to spend their free time.

There’s simply no denying that Covid has been a major catalyst towards accelerating the upward trend that the social mobile gaming industry is experiencing.

For example, the latest estimate from Newzoo suggests the global game sector was worth $175 billion in 2020, up 20 per cent from its initial prediction for the year.

And whether we see similar growth in 2021, what is clear that some long term trends will continue to accelerate change.

1. Millennials Vs Gen Z

The mobile gaming industry is constantly expanding, and millennials – usually defined as those born between 1981 and 1996 – are now the driving force.

Interestingly, according to a recent study by AdColony, around 40 per cent of millennials identify as mobile gamers compared to only 33 per cent of the younger Gen Z cohort, so knowing the difference in taste between these two similar groups is vital.

2. New tech, new games

New gaming technologies will continue to fuel innovative ways to combine gameplay and social interaction.

From a development side, leading gaming engines such as Unity and Unreal will continue to improve their products and empower more game developers to create engaging products.

But the industry isn’t just about engines. Highly accessible distribution platforms such as xCloud and Google Stadia will blur the lines between games and online entertainment in novel ways.

3. Not playing, just watching

Gaming has already established itself as a mainstream spectator sport.

A report from Neilson suggests that 71 per cent of millennial gamers watch gaming content on YouTube and Twitch, while stream tech outfit Limelight reckons most 18 to 25-year-olds would rather watch gamers than traditional sports.

“When audience growth overtakes player growth, that fundamentally flips the business model on its head,” says Erik Archer Smith, marketing director of data at Treasure Data.

“That’s going to fundamentally change how developers have to approach their game, where you need to think about producing games with the audience in mind, versus just the gamer in mind.”

4. Mobile games as social networks

Titles such as Among Us and Fortnite have ushered in a new era of gaming, one where games become social networks.

According to the Entertainment Software Association, it’s estimated 56 per cent of frequent gamers play multiplayer games and 55 per cent say that video games help them stay connected with their friends.

During 2020, mobile video chat gaming platform Bunch saw its monthly active user base grow 50 times over since March, breaking through the million-mark.

This real-world social interaction is something we’ve been focused on at Comunix, with our game Pokerface, the first group video chat Texas Hold ’em Poker game that lets people from around the world experience the fun of playing live with friends and making new ones.

Since its launch, Pokerface has rapidly gained massive growth on iOS and Android recently crossing over 2 billion total video minutes between live video chat players, with an average gaming session of 42 minutes per day.

Essentially Pokerface brings back game night with friends, even when major cities are under lockdown.

5. Smart playable ads

According to AppsFlyer, mobile app marketers spent $75 billion in 2020 to encourage users to install mobile apps, up 30 per cent compared to 2019. Taking into account that many countries are still experiencing various waves of pandemic and lockdowns, this upwards trend is sure to continue at least into the first half of 2021.

Playable ads specifically have become an increasingly popular ad format due largely to their ability to give consumers the chance to experience a game before downloading it. A recent survey conducted revealed 46 per cent of game developers consider immersive in-game advertising a key opportunity for monetization.

2021 will see more game developers take advantage of this unique ad type, as well as new and immersive interactive ad formats – such as Snap’s deal with Unity – to reach more players.

What’s next?

While it is impossible to predict the future, you can still prepare for likely scenarios.

If the past months have taught us anything it’s that mobile gaming will likely continue its meteoric rise. Key social features such as chat, friend invites, video chat and competitive multiplayer modes will drive additional mobile gaming adoption and market share.

The big question that remains, however, is how will user behavior change as the world slowly starts to get vaccinated against COVID-19?

I believe this will be a key opportunity for the mobile game sector in 2021.

(source:pocket gamer )


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