作者：Kathleen De Vere

目前,世界上应该没有哪家开发商不在思考着如何开启移动游戏制作之路。

NaturalMotion的《CSR Racing》在一个月内获得了超过1200万美元收益的佳绩便向我们证明了，移动游戏将引领着创新领域与盈利模式的发展。也就是说，无论西方的游戏公司已取得多大成功，它们的成就仍落后于像GREE等公司在日本的发展。鉴于GREE每季度均创下5亿多美元的利润，以及其热销游戏每月可创收2600多万美元的事实，显然它更加了解移动社交游戏市场中所存在的巨大商机。

最近，我们采访了GREE社交游戏高级副总裁Eiji Araki，他向我们阐述了日本的游戏公司是如何制作出世界上最赚钱的移动社交游戏，以及GREE打算如何将日本游戏技术运用到北美市场。

Eiji Araki(from stanford.edu)

Inside Mobile Apps（以下简称：IMA）:你认为促使日本社交游戏大获成功，并同时具有社交性与盈利性的因素有哪些？

Eiji Araki：关于社交游戏一词的定义多种多样，但在我看来，美国与日本市场的最大不同在于，日本的许多移动社交游戏均融入了社交功能。游戏不再局限于添加好友或向好友赠送礼物，玩家还可以在此与好友对抗，或者为朝着一个共同目标而合作。我坚信，社交性能的融入将进一步鼓励玩家与好友合作，并让他们会为了与其他玩家对抗或帮助好友而花钱。而这也是促使日本社交游戏取胜的重要因素。

IMA：你认为，日本玩家与西方玩家间是否存在着本质的差别？

Eiji Araki：不，我认为他们的性质一样。只是游戏执行的功能大相径庭。而日本的移动社交游戏在社交功能融合方面尤为突出。

IMA：那么，日本与北美游戏所获得的不同盈利是否是推动着你们将日本技术带向北美市场的主要原因？

Eiji Araki：是的。所以我们才选择将《Zombie Jombie》做为试验对象。就日本市场上的游戏而言这款游戏并不算特别突出，但是相较于美国市场上的大多数游戏，它确实更具盈利性。

IMA：能否具体透露某些相关数据呢？

Eiji Araki：在此我不便讲明，但是就其平均利润而言应该高出8-10倍。

IMA：你是否注意到日本与西方玩家在转化率方面也存在差异？

Eiji Araki：我想，这种差异性源于两者所面对的不同平台。日本的游戏市场鲜少出现关于付费问题的摩擦。玩家可以通过应用内部购买模式获得自己想要的内容。在进行交易时，他们无需输入信用卡信息，这是一种非常便捷的方法，玩家们已习惯这种付费系统。我们于2007年开始开发移动社交游戏，因此我们的用户有更多的时间去适应这种付费模式。

IMA：你是否意识到平均交易规模之间也存在着不同？

Araki：不，我认为它们几乎一样。我们在对比日本与美国市场时发现，只要游戏机制一样，交易规模便无两样。这主要取决于国家本身，但是就美国、加拿大、澳大利亚等国家而言，它们的交易规模都十分相似。

IMA：那么，玩家的终身价值又是何种情况？

Araki：玩家的终身价值是取决于国家与游戏类型。

IMA：现在，许多日本社交游戏公司，比如Gloops和KLab也开始进军北美市场。对此你作何感受？

Araki：我认为，在接下来的6个月内，将有越来越多的移动社交游戏开发商进军美国市场。虽然日本的移动社交游戏市场仍处于发展阶段，但因为我们公司已在此占据了40%的市场份额，所以其它开发商便不得不瞄准全球市场。

IMA：你认为这些游戏公司的加入是否有利于GREE的发展？

Araki：我想，这将会是一场有趣的竞争，但总体上看，这对于任何公司而言都是积极影响，因为他们将不断扩展整个游戏市场的规模。

IMA：竞争确实存在优势，但却不利于较小规模的游戏公司的发展。你认为在未来的一年多时间里，移动市场将出现多少公司兼并的情况？

Araki：我想，一，两年之后，移动市场将只留下两至三家成功的大型游戏公司。

IMA：就像传统游戏领域那样？

Araki：我认为在一至三年后便会形成这一格局。

IMA：kompu gacha禁令（游戏邦注：因为违反了日本法律而遭到日本政府的禁止）对你们公司在日本的运作带来怎样的影响？

Araki：在此，我们不便透露具体数值，也无法估计它的直接影响，因为kompu gacha是一种十分复杂的盈利机制。我们不能说‘从kompu gacha机制可以获取多少利益，而从其它机制上又可获取多少利益’。但是不管怎么说我们公司还是多多少少受到了影响。

IMA：也就是说这对于你们的股票市场的影响并不明显？

Araki：从总体上看这对我们公司的名声造成了一定影响，但不得不承认的是有些人的确反应过度了。总之，这些问题的确产生一定的综合效应。

IMA：最近，游戏领域中经常出现现金博彩这一字眼。你是否考虑到美国市场也许存在更多条条框框在限制这种类型的游戏，就像日本市场这样？

Araki：目前我无法就此事予以评论。但值得强调的是，我们所制作的游戏内容均符合法律规定，而且最大化地满足了用户的需求。总之，我们将遵循着法律条款的改变而做出最适当的调整。

IMA：你对GREE在北美市场的运作制定了何种目标？

Araki：我们打算在此开发一个平台，并创造出能够吸引数十亿用户的游戏。而对美国市场期望是，我们希望能够成为美国最强大的社交游戏工作室。

IMA：真是个伟大的目标。

Araki：我们已经在此取得不错的进展。比如，上周末我们已有3款还是4款游戏跃居iOS榜单前30或前40的位置。GREE应该是唯一一家拥有3或4款游戏于该排行榜单上的公司。

IMA：你认为自己在北美市场有哪些竞争对手？是DeNA、Zynga或是其它公司？

Araki：是的，Zynga、DeNA，以及许多新兴开发商都是我们的竞争对手，还有像艺电等公司也在该领域卓有成效，我想我们的竞争对手无处不在。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

GREE’s Eiji Araki on monetization, Japanese vs. Western players, and what makes a successful social game

by Kathleen De Vere

There probably isn’t a single game developer in the world right now that’s not thinking about how they can start making mobile games.

With titles like NaturalMotion’s CSR Racing earning more than $12 million a month, mobile has proven itself as the forefront for both innovation and monetization. That said, no matter how successful Western companies have been, their accomplishments are still far behind what companies like GREE are doing in Japan. With net sales of more than $500 million per quarter and top grossing games that can pull in more than $26 million a month in revenue, it’s clear GREE knows the mobile-social gaming market better than almost anyone else.

We recently sat down with Eiji Araki, GREE International’s senior vice president of social games to find out how Japanese companies are able to make the most lucrative mobile-social games in the world, and how GREE plans to bring its Japanese gaming expertise to North America.

Inside Mobile Apps: What do you think makes social games so successful, social and profitable in Japan?

Eiji Araki, senior vice president, social games, GREE international (pictured right): I think there are many definitions of social games, but I think that one of the big differences between the US market and Japan’s is that in Japan there are many games in the mobile-social industry [and they have] many integrated social features. Not just gifting or adding friends, but competing or cooperating to achieve a common goal. I believe deeply connected social features encourage the player to continue to play with their friends and pay money to compete against other players or help their friends. That helps Japanese social games be successful.

IMA: Do you think there is any fundamental difference between Japanese and Western players?

Araki: No. I think they’re the same. Features are implemented differently. Japanese mobile-social games are much more advanced in terms of how they integrate social features.

IMA: So is the difference in monetization between Japanese and North American games is essentially just about the level of Japanese expertise used in North America?

Araki: Yeah. That’s what we did as a trial for Zombie Jombie. That is very basic in terms of games in Japan. That game actually has much better monetization than the general US market games.

IMA: Can you share any specific numbers?

Araki: I can’t say, only that its 8-10 times the average.

IMA: Have you noticed there seems to be a difference in the conversion rate between Japanese and Western players?

Araki: I think it’s different because there are some differences between the platforms. In the Japanese market the friction around payments is much much lower. Players can purchase goods through carrier billing. It doesn’t require the player to enter credit card information, its very easy, and people are used to that system. We started to develop mobile-social games in 2007, so the audience there has had more time to get used to them

IMA: Do you see difference between average transaction sizes?

Araki: No, it’s the same. As long as the game mechanics are the same, and as far as we can compare the Japanese market to the American market it’s not that different. It depends on the country but in terms of US, Canada, Australia, those countries are pretty similar.

IMA: Are you seeing the same lifetime value for players as well then?

Araki: The lifetime value depends on the country and game genre.

IMA: A lot of Japanese social game companies like Gloops and KLab are starting to come to North America now as well. What do you make of that move?

Araki: I assume that in the next six months many, many mobile-social game developers will be here. Although the Japanese market [for mobile-social games] is still growing, we already have about 40 percent market share, so those developers are now looking at the global market.

IMA: Do you think that’s good for GREE that these companies are coming over?

Araki: That will be an interesting competition, but I think in general it will be a good thing for everyone because they’ll expand the size of the whole market.

IMA: Competition is good, but its not sustainable for smaller players. How much consolidation do you see happening in to the mobile market in the next year or so?

Araki: I think that one year later and two years later there will be just two to three huge successful companies only.

IMA: Like the traditional gaming space?

Araki: That will happen in the next one to three years.

IMA: How has the kompu gacha phase-out affected your operations in Japan?

Araki: We don’t disclose the actual numbers and we cannot assess the direct level of impact because kompu gacha is a very complicated monetization mechanic to define. We can’t say ‘there is this much revenue from kompu gacha and this much revenue from other mechanics’. I think it will affect us a bit.

IMA: So maybe not as much as has been reflected in the stock market?

Araki: I think in general there will be some reputation effect, but there is also some overreacting. There will be a mixed impact from those issues.

IMA: One of the things that’s been mentioned a lot recently is real-money gambling. Are you concerned that there will be more regulations in the US like in Japan?

Araki: At this moment I cannot say much about that. We’ve been developing content that doesn’t violate regulation or laws but that also maximizes customer satisfaction. In any case, we will follow any change [in the law].

IMA: What’s your goal for GREE’s North American operations?

Araki: As a whole company we’re aiming to develop a platform and the games that will be used by a billion people. Just for our US aspirations we plan on becoming the number one social gaming studio in the US.

IMA: That is a very lofty goal.

Araki: I think that we’re making good progress. For example last weekend we had I think three or four titles in the top 30 or 40 grossing [chart on iOS]. I think GREE was the only company who had 3 or 4 titles there.

IMA: Who do you see as your competition in North America? Is it DeNA or Zynga or somebody else?

Araki: Yeah, Zynga, DeNA, many emerging developers — on the other hand there are companies like EA, which  sometimes do very well. We are competing with everyone.(source:insidemobileapps)