作者：Janes Batchelor

本文将通过21名行业专家的视角，讲述2013年从PS4和Xbox One，Supercell到整个移动行业的重要趋势。

2013年是一个游戏行业的里程碑。

移动平台在游戏领域持续发力，创造了诸如《Clash of Clans》开发商Supercell和《Puzzle & Dragons》开发商GungHo等身价数十亿美元的公司。

我们还看到来自任天堂、微软和索尼推出的Wii U、Xbox One和PS4等新型主机，预示着新主机游戏时代的到来，并为市场注入了主机复兴的乐观气象。

为此我们请21名游戏行业人士发表了他们对2013年游戏行业表现，以及定义这一行业的大事件的看法。

次世代主机年

“我很乐见这两款新游戏问世所受到的热烈欢迎，因为之前有许多行业权威已经给主机判了死刑。”——Pill Gaskell（Ripstone主管）

“我们知道PS4将会十分智能并获得反响，但没有想到它居然能够领先于Xbone，另外Shahid Ahmad所产生的影响也同样令人印象深刻。”——Stewart Gilray（Just Add Water首席执行官）

“索尼和微软再度点燃了人们对主机市场的兴趣。”——Nick Gibson（Games Investor Consulting创始人）

“当然是新主机的问世！我已经经历过多次主机产品周期，这是我最期待的一次翻身战。”——Ian Goodall（Aardvark Swift总经理）

Supercell年

clash of clans(from develop-online)

“Supercell的估值最令我印象深刻！”——Gareth Edmondson（Thumstar首席执行官）

“Supercell公司15亿美元的交易显示了这个市场的真正潜力。”——Darren Jobling（Eutechnyx首席执行官）

移动年

“2013年是手机游戏巨头浮现的一年。Supercell向GungHo出售51％的股份，以及King的崛起就是明证。我认为《Candy Crush Saga》是目前影响力最大的游戏故事。《Candy Crush Saga》的日常用户超过了PS4和Xbone用户的总和。”——John Earner（Space Ape Games首席执行官）

“我们在过去12个月中真正看到手机功能和性能的飞跃发展，这一设备几乎堪与PS3和Xbox 360主机媲美。移动硬件的快速发展，以及新主机的问世也为开发者提供了创造真正创新的游戏的理由。我还认为手机和平板电脑游戏市场中大型公司与新兴工作室风水轮流转的现实也颇令人瞩目。”——Harvey Elliott（Marmalade首席执行官）

数字年

“2013是数字渠道破釜沉舟成为我们销售游戏主流渠道的一年。以及终于能够在主机平台上自主发布游戏的一年。”——Jason Kingsley（Rebellion联合创始人及首席执行官）

独立开发者年

ridiculous fishing(from develop-online)

“我对今年独立游戏所取得的成功印象非常深刻。我们不但看到了《The Room》以及《The Unfinished Swan》等独立游戏赢得了BAFTA大奖，还看到了像《Ridiculous Fishing》、《Gone Home》和《Papers,Please》等一些新游戏的兴起。”——Sophia George（Swallowtail Games联合创始人兼V&A Museum游戏设计师）

“今天我玩过的独立和小型工作室出品的游戏数量超过了主流AAA游戏。但我认为自己所玩的AAA游戏数量并没有减少，只是我更容易融入这类短小但却具有深度影响的游戏体验。”——Wesley Adams（Autodesk市场营销专家）

“我觉得今年自己大部分的游戏时间都贡献给了独立游戏。在许多平台玩了真正具有启发的游戏，我认为今年最具代表性的游戏当然是《Papers Please》！”——Nick Button-Brown（Improbable工作室主管）

“硬件制造商为争取独立开发者支持率的现象暂告一段落——草根独立团队的崛起让大家觉得一切皆有可能。同时这一领域的开发者也意识到成功仍然需要努力工作，商业头脑以及投入学习新技术，但许多独立开发者欣然接受了这些挑战，并准确进行自我定位，以便收获一个成功的2014年。”——Natalie Griffith（Press Space PR所有者）

“平台所有者与独立开发者及其社区的沟通交流发生了翻天覆地的变化。我从来不敢梦想自己居然也能够通过Twitter的力量与索尼、任天堂或微软进行联系。这些公司日益变得更为开放性，尽管这一过程并非一帆风顺，但比起5年前更有改观，那时候我还从来没想过小型开发者团队也能够在主流平台上发布游戏。”——Andy Esser（Zero Dependency主程序员）

Naughty Dog年

the last of us(from develop-online)

“2013年最棒的时刻就是《The Last Of Us》的发布。Naughty Dog以实在、创意和全新的IP驳斥了人们对于主机游戏已死的论断。《The Last Of Us》充分说明主机游戏仍能够发挥重要影响，将玩家引进他们之前从未到过的地方。太棒了。”——Ryan Payton（Camouflaj创始人）

“对我来说2013年就是个故事年，最棒的游戏都在讲述故事，无论是《The Last Of Us》，《行尸走肉》，还是《Journey》。我认为在此摸着门道的开发者已经了解如何创造更具情感体验的游戏，希望在未来看到加强的趋势。”——Mark Baldwin（New Star Games社区经理）

过渡年

“2013年有个过渡感，并且尚未到达真正的顶点。次世代的势头趋缓，VR设备正在发力，大制作游戏延期了。但我仍然对来年寄以厚望！”——David Osborne（Jagex工作室《RuneScape》高级故事设计师）

“我们看到大众对F2P的接纳（尤其是《Candy Crush Saga》）。另一方面你又可以看到GTA V销量达到2800万份！这款游戏的规模和技术成就甚为惊人！”——Philip Oliver（Radiant Worlds创始人）

惊喜年

far cry 3 blood dragon(from develop-online)

“2013是持续创造惊喜的一年。除了《Far Cry 3:Blood Dragon》这类大品牌之外的异常趣味性，像《Brothers:A Tale of Two Sons》等新IP在游戏故事讲述上的创新，单人开发者所创造的《Papers,Please》这类游戏令我深为触动。当然，还有出色的玩家所制作的《Surgeon Simulator 2013》视频至今仍令我捧腹。”——Imre Jele（Bossa Studios创始人）

“我喜欢《No Man’s Sky》，它是科幻题材的一大进步，拥有极富深度的程序生成宇宙。”——Daniel Da Rocha（Mudvark总经理）

“《Minecraft》在2013年销量达到2300万份这真是太疯狂了，Supercell成了身价数十亿美元的巨头，许多小型工作室涌现出色的作品。我认为2013年总结起来就是电子游戏突显这一行极大的不可预料性。”——Aj Grand-Scutton（Dlala Studios创始人）

（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）

The big trends that defined 2013 in games

By James Batchelor

From the PS4 and Xbox One, Supercell to mobile, 21 industry professionals tell us their highlights of the year

2013 has been a landmark year for games.

Mobile has continued its astronomic rise in the games space, creating billion dollar companies such as Clash of Clans developer Supercell and Puzzle & Dragons outfit GungHo.

We’ve also seen new consoles from Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony in the shape of the Wii U, Xbox One and PS4, ushering in a new era of console gaming and inspiring renewed optimism in the market.

We asked 21 game industry professionals on what they thought of 2013 in games, and what they felt defined the year for the sector.

The Year of next-gen

“I loved the rapturous reception that the launch of two new consoles received, at a time when many industry pundits were predicting the death of consoles.”
Phil Gaskell, director, Ripstone

“We knew PS4 was going to be clever and make the right noises, had no idea it was going to have such a convincing lead over XBone as it seems to, so far. I’m also impressed by the impact Shahid Ahmad has had.”
Stewart Gilray, CEO, Just Add Water

“Sony and Microsoft reinvigorated interest in the console market.”
Nick Gibson, founder, Games Investor Consulting

“The arrival of the new consoles! Having lived and worked in games through many console cycles this is the battle I’m looking forward to most.”
Ian Goodall, managing director, Aardvark Swift

The Year of Supercell

“Supercell’s valuation was my highlight!”
Gareth Edmondson, CEO, Thumstar

“The Supercell $1.5 billion transaction showing the real potential of that market.”
Darren Jobling, CEO, Eutechnyx

The Year of Mobile

“2013 is the year of the mobile gaming giants emerged. Supercell’s acquisition by Gung Ho, and King’s ascent. I think Candy Crush is the biggest story in gaming by a longshot. More people play Candy Crush in a day than will ever own a PS4 or XBOne combined.”
John Earner, CEO, Space Ape Games

“We really saw a leap in mobile phone power and performance over the last 12 months, bringing them almost to a par with the outgoing PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles. The rapid development of mobile hardware, and the arrival of new consoles gives devs large and small a great excuse to create some truly innovative games. I also think the twists and turns in the mobile and tablet markets have been fascinating to watch with a change in fortunes for established players and new entrants coming into the market.”
Harvey Elliott, CEO, Marmalade

The Year of Digital

“2013 was the year when digital distribution crossed the Rubicon and became the major way we sell our games. Also being able to self-publish on Consoles at long last.”
Jason Kingsley, co-founder and CEO, Rebellion

The Year of the Indie

“I am very impressed by the success of indie games this year. Not only did we have indie games like The Room and The Unfinished Swan win at March’s BAFTA awards, but we saw some new amazing titles too, like Ridiculous Fishing, Gone Home and Papers, Please.”
Sophia George, co-founder of Swallowtail Games and games designer in residence at V&A Museum

“This year, the number of games I played made by indie and small studios overtook the number of major triple-A games I played. But I realized the number of triple-A games I play hasn’t decreased, it’s just easier to fit in these shorter but highly impactful experiences.”
Wesley Adams, marketing specialist, Autodesk

“It felt to me like the year that Indies took over, certainly in the amount of my personal game time. Played some truly inspired games across many platforms, and love seeing people that haven’t realised they can’t do what they are doing. My game of the year? Papers Please!”
Nick Button-Brown, studio head, Improbable

“The hardware manufacturer top-trumps game of who had better indie-friendly points was a distraction for what was really happening: a genuine grass roots upswell of indie teams feeling that anything was possible. That brought with it a maturing of approach as those same developers realised that success still requires hard work, business acumen and a commitment to learning a wealth of new skills outside their dev comfort zone, but many indies have embraced those challenges and are positioning themselves really well for a successful 2014.”
Natalie Griffith, owner, Press Space PR

“There was a fundamental sea change in the way that the platform holders are communicating with indie developers, and the community as a whole. I would never have dreamt that I would be able to start a relationship with Sony, or Nintendo or Microsoft simply through the power of Twitter. It’s remarkable to see how open these companies are becoming. It’s not all smooth sailing, but it’s significantly better than say five years ago where I would never have imagined a small team of developers could release a game on a major platform.”
Andy Esser, lead programmer, Zero Dependency

The Year of Naughty Dog

“The best moment in gaming for 2013 was the release of The Last Of Us. Naughty Dog silenced critics predicting the end of console gaming with an honest, innovative, and totally fresh IP. The Last Of Us was a great reminder that console gaming can still swing big and take players to places they’ve never been before. Bravo.”
Ryan Payton, founder, Camouflaj

“2013 for me was all about story telling, the best games have all told a story, whether it’s one that is scripted out for you like in “The Last of Us” , one that you have an influence over “The Walking Dead” or one that you create “Journey.” I feel like the developers that have got this right have learned how to make games a real emotional experience and I look forward to seeing how that can be enhanced even more in the future.”
Mark Baldwin, community manager, New Star Games

The Year of Transition

“There was a sense of transition and nothing really culminating. Next gen was muted, VR devices are building momentum, big titles were delayed. Still, I have high hopes for next year!”
David Osborne, RuneScape senior narrative designer, Jagex

“We saw the vast adoption by the general public of F2P – particularly Candy Crush. At the other end of the spectrum you have GTA V selling 28 million copies! And the game is staggering in its scope and technical accomplishments.”
Philip Oliver, founder, Radiant Worlds

The Year of Surprises

“2013 was a year which just kept bringing surprises. Uncharacteristically funny additions to big brands like Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Refreshing takes on game storytelling by new IPs like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Games created by a single auteur like Papers, Please touching me on a very personal level (I grew up on the other side of the “Iron Curtain”). And of course our amazing players still make me laugh with the Surgeon Simulator 2013 videos they make.”
Imre Jele, founder, Bossa Studios

“I loved the revealing of No Man’s Sky. It’s a bold step forward for the sci-fi genre, having a massive procedural universe that can be explored to its very depths.”
Daniel Da Rocha, managing director, Mudvark

“2013 was absolutely crazy from seeing Minecraft hit 23 million+ sales, Phil Fish getting, in my opinion, undeserved shit and quitting twitter, Supercell becoming billion dollar beast and then the amount of little studios popping up doing great things, I guess the way I would round it up is that 2013 in video games has highlighted how unpredictable this industry is.”
Aj Grand-Scutton, founder, Dlala Studios（source：develop-online）