美国游戏发行巨头EA公司以2900万美元收购英国发行商Chillingo公司，无疑是2010年游戏产业最抢眼的新闻之一。Chillingo之前曾向媒体表示，他们加入EA大家庭，并不会受到大型企业管理模式的掣肘，而是借助EA的业务资源，与开发商建立更紧密的合作关系。

但Chillingo与EA这两个实力不对称公司的婚姻究竟有多稳定，却仍然是业内关注的重点。

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据游戏邦了解，Chillingo公司联合创始人及总经理Joe Wee日前在 Yahoo! Games的采访中表示，Chillingo刚起步时主要面向手机平台开发游戏，但很快又拓展了发行业务，帮助其他开发商将游戏打入市场。Chillingo的游戏编写和开发背景，可以为开发商打造一个理想的游戏销售平台。Chillingo的专长是筛选并培养独立开发商的创意，向市场推出创新的游戏作品，“EA的收购，有助于我们将自己的专长与EA的发行实力、渠道相结合，使项目成果最大化。”

正如一些评论家所言，因为考虑到EA、Chillingo这两个标志对休闲游戏玩家都具有相当的吸引力，所以EA当初才会毅然出手收购后者。另外，Chillingo在手机游戏发行领域已经是个金字招牌，EA正好借此机会向市场推出更简单易上手，与EA传统游戏风格截然不同的产品。

Chillingo的另一名联合创始人及总经理Chris Byatte认为，比起游戏发行品牌，Chillingo更重视与开发商建立良好的合作关系，就算现在已经归入EA麾下，这一原则也不能轻易动摇，“我们致力与开发商建立一对一的合作关系，所以会尽量提供免费、客观的建议。我和Joe跟这些开发商都有深交，大部分人都成了我们的老朋友。我们清楚他们一直很用心地投入工作，这些游戏对他们来说意义重大。我们希望他们选择与Chillingo合作能比孤军奋战获得更大的收益。”

Wee补充表示，他们喜欢精益求精，所以有时候会因为想最大限度地优化游戏，而让开发商感到不耐烦。他们经历了一个漫长的过程，才向市场成功推出了《糖果小怪物》（Cut the Rope）这款游戏，“Zeptolab工作室的开发者都非常有才华，但他们是跟我们的开发主管合作之后，对游戏进行一轮又一轮地改良，才把它推上了App Store的冠军宝座。”（游戏邦注：《糖果小怪物》是本年度最快畅销的游戏之一，曾短暂取代《愤怒的小鸟》称雄App Store排行榜。）

Byatte声称Chillingo目前仍在挖掘“下一个《糖果小怪物》”，但表示有关开发商现在还不愿过早透露有关信息。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Chillingo on combining its spit and polish culture with the power of EA

EA’s $29 million purchase of Chillingo is undoubtedly one of the headline deals of 2010, in a year when, let’s not forget, acquisitions in the mobile arena haven’t exactly been hard to come by.

Chillingo has previously stated that becoming part of the EA family won’t impact on the publisher’s personal touch – the company claiming it fosters close relationships with its developers, rather than following a typically corporate mantra.

However, the fact it now has the might of one of the world’s largest and most successful publishers behind it means questions regarding the suitability of the two companies are bound to arise.

Cause for cultivation

“Basically we set out making games for mobile phones and very quickly diversified into selling games directly to the consumer for other developers,” co-founder and now co-general manager Joe Wee told Yahoo! Games, detailing the company’s small scale roots.

“Our background of writing and creating platforms allowed us to create a platform to sell content for developers. Our expertise is in identifying and cultivating ideas for independent developers and bringing innovative games to the store.

“The EA deal allows us to combine this expertise with publishing power and reach, hence a great fit.”
Developer dealings

Indeed, it’s the ability that both brands have to appeal to the more casual consumer that commentators speculate may well have sparked EA’s buyout in the first place.

On that score, Chillingo has enjoyed much success with its Clickgamer brand, which aims to release simpler games than its standard line up.

However, regardless of the label a game is released under, it’s the relationship Chillingo has with studios that is vitally important – and that’s something co-founder and co-general manager Chris Byatte is adamant won’t change under EA.

“We actually offer free, impartial advice as best we can because we’re cultivating one-to-one relationships,” said Byatte.

“Joe and I know these developers very well, and a lot of them are now good friends. We know that they put their heart and soul into their game, so it means a lot and it must succeed.

“Our proposition is that they’ll make more money with us as the publisher rather than going alone.”

Best is best

“We want the absolute best,” added Wee.

“Sometimes people get prickly because we will push them to the limit. In the case of Cut the Rope that was quite a long process.

“Zeptolab are very talented developers, but they were working with our head of development, polishing and polishing. The end result is a number one game.”

According to Byatte, Chillingo has already laid eyes on what it’s billing as the ‘next Cut the Rope’, though he said the firm isn’t willing to lift off it just yet.（source:pocketgamer）