也许这就如同一场相扑之战。社交网站Hi5总裁Alex St. John（游戏邦注：其之前为相扑手，后转战营销领域）终可自我夸耀一番。公司日前宣布，据市场调研机构comScore Media Metrix数据显示，他们现已跻身全球10大社交网站之列。

Alex St. John

St. John自2009年加入Hi5后就一直致力于将公司打造为国际化的社交网络平台。当时，Hi5的每月用户已有6000万，但公司从中创收甚少。如今公司每月用户跌至3000万，但St. John还是不遗余力地为平台引入更多有利可图的社交游戏。

就在线游戏用户来看，Hi5如今是全球第六大在线游戏网站，每月用户高达2170万，遥遥领先其他一些著名在线游戏门户，如Nickelodeon Casual Games（2080万）、Yahoo Games（2070万）和MSN Games（1860万）。Hi5平台现有社交游戏110多款，另外还有400多款将很快和用户见面。

公认的顶级社交游戏网站包括：Spil Games（4980万）、GSN Games Networks和CPMStar（3570万）、EA Online（3290万）、WildTangent Media（2960万）和厦门游家网络（2220 万）。

Hi5首席执行官比尔·戈斯曼（Bill Gossman）表示，此次晋升新名次是公司从社交网络转战社交游戏的里程碑。当然，这其实就是放弃一个劲敌，转投下个对手。在对劲敌Facebook束手无策的情况下，Hi5只好选择转战Zynga之类的对手。

要在排行榜上有所突破的关键在于，吸收更多独家游戏。Hi5新推出的游戏有些已出现在Facebook平台（游戏邦注：如《Millionaire City》、《Backyard Monsters》、《Barn Buddy》、《Resort World》和《Bush Whacker》）。

Hi5通过对众多游戏开发商善待有加而备受青睐。Hi5创建于2003年，迄今共融资3400万美元，有雇员70名。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Hi5 becomes a top ten online game site

Perhaps it was the sumo wrestling. Alex St. John, president of social network Hi5 and a man who took on a real sumo wrestler as a marketing stunt, has something to crow about. His company is announcing today that market analyst comScore Media Metrix has classified Hi5 as a top ten online gaming site in a worldwide ranking.

St. John has been trying to shake Hi5’s legacy as an international social network since he joined the San Francisco firm in November, 2009. Back then, Hi5 had 60 million unique monthly users, but it didn’t really have a great way to make money from them. Hi5’s users have slipped to 30 million, but St. John has relentlessly steered the company into more lucrative social games.

In worldwide online gaming unique visitors, Hi5 now ranks sixth as an online game site, with 21.7 million unique monthly visitors. It is ahead of some established online game portals such as Nickelodeon Casual Games (20.8 million), Yahoo Games (20.7 million), and MSN Games (18.6 million). Hi5 has more than 110 social games and more than 400 more coming soon.

The top-ranked online game companies: Spil Games (49.8 million), GSN Games Networks and CPMStar (35.7 million), EA Online (32.9 million), WildTangent Media (29.6 million), and Xiamen Youjia Network (22.2 million).

Bill Gossman, chief executive of Hi5, says the new ranking is a milestone in the company’s pivot from a social network to a social game destination. Of course, this is kind of like jumping from one big rival to another. Unable to beat Facebook, Hi5 is now going up against the likes of Zynga.

The key to climbing higher in the ranks will be getting more exclusive games. Hi5’s new games include titles that have also been on Facebook, such as Millionaire City, Backyard Monsters, Barn Buddy, Resort World, and Bush Whacker.

Hi5 has attracted game developers by being friendly to them and giving them ways to get noticed via its SocioPath online game platform. Hi5 was founded in 2003 and has raised $34 million to date. It has 70 employees.（Source：Venturebeat）